


Parent Trap

by ThePhoenixofHumanity



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Developing Friendships, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mechanic Jesse McCree, Single Parent Hanzo Shimada, Single Parent Jesse McCree, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Tattoo Artist Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-07-08 19:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15936776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePhoenixofHumanity/pseuds/ThePhoenixofHumanity
Summary: Jesse McCree isn't in the best of places. His son has been getting into fights at school, his ex-wife has been hounding him more and more lately over stupid matters, and his shop is losing business to some fancy new place that opened downtown. He hasn't had a break in what feels like years and he's very close to snapping.Hanzo Shimada isn't sure how much longer he can handle his father breathing down his back. Ever since he opened a tattoo shop instead of taking over the family company, the arguments never cease, not even across seas. Not only that, but his daughter is having a hard time adjusting in school and Hanzo isn't sure what he can do to help her, nor himself. He just wants to collapse.Clark McCree has noticed that his dad hasn't been happy lately, but he doesn't what to do to make him smile anymore. He knows his dad hates the fights at school, but they're not Clark's fault! Honest! Maybe that new man his dad can't talk around might help.Kaida Shimada likes seeing her daddy do his art, but he doesn't seem happy anymore. She knows something is wrong, and that he's upset, but she can't make him smile again. The funny man from the car place makes her daddy laugh though. Maybe he can help.





	1. Problems

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Parent Trap and this happened.

_'When Dad gets here, he's gonna be mad.'_ Clark couldn't look at anything other than his shoes. His dad was going to be beyond mad. Clark had promised he wouldn't fight anymore, but here he was again, in the principal's office for another fight. But it wasn't his fault this time! Those other kids started it and Clark was just finishing it! Hopefully his dad would believe him. The teacher didn't, but his dad would.

Clark looked over at the girl sitting next to him. Bruised as he might be, he was glad she hadn't gotten hurt. He couldn't just stand there while she was getting bullied! His dad had always said to fight for what was right, and protecting Kaida was what's right! If his dad would see it that way, maybe he wouldn't get so mad...

Kaida looked over at Clark and tried to smile, though she couldn't keep it up. It was her fault that Clark had started fighting and her fault they were here. She hoped that Clark could forgive her. And she really hoped her dad wouldn't be too upset with her when he came down here. Last time, it was because Kaida wouldn't stop drawing on her arms. What would he think now that she was involved in a fight?

* * *

Shit! He was late! He had to be at Clark's school ten minutes ago! He  _knew_ he shouldn't have taken that last car, but he thought he could fix it quickly. Now he was going to be late and if he didn't show up,  _she_ was going to storm down to the school and cause trouble, trouble that Jesse wasn't sure he could fix this time.  _She_ was already banned from the school because of her behavior from last time, and Jesse wasn't sure if he could handle another incident. But this wasn't the time to dwell on it. He had to get to the school now!

Jesse McCree was...struggling, to say the least. Honestly, it started back when that new mechanic shop opened near this really big mall. A week after it opened, his own place saw a major dip in customers, with only a few of his regulars constantly coming back for repairs. Business was tanking like crazy and there wasn't much he could do about it? It was only him in his small little place competing against a place that could take five cars at once and had at least twenty different guys.

Not only that, but his ex-wife was...well, she was a bitch. The divorce was really messy, the custody battle took a toll on him, and not only was she bitching at him about something she claimed was in their pre-nub, but now she was trying to fight to get full custody of Clark because she saw Jesse as a 'bad influence'. All the fights he was getting into, she blamed on Jesse for some reason. She was trying to use anything she could to get Clark back and the arguing was getting on his nerves. Clark was the only thing that kept him hanging on. 

And speaking of Clark, he should be leaving.

* * *

Jesse sighed. This was the third time in the last two weeks he'd been in this school, through these same halls, and to the same office. He had a feeling he knew what this was about. Was this how Gabe felt every time he had to pick up Jesse after he got into fights? Man, now he felt bad about being so impulsive as a teenager.

As soon as he opened the office door, he took note of a few things going on. Firstly, his son ducked down in his chair the moment the door opened and flinched. He could see a cartoon-patterned bandage on his cheek but he couldn't  Second, there was another kid sitting in a chair who also flinched and looked straight down and their shoes. He could also see a bandage on her hand, this time flower-patterned. Third, there were other parents and kids sitting around the office, though the parents looked highly upset and the kids looked...smug?

Great. There was bound to be a shouting match before long.

"Mr. McCree. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. But, as you already know, Clark's behavior has been.."

Yeah Yeah. He'd heard it all before. Better circumstances, Clark's behavior, fighting, disturbance, waiting for full story; he knew this whole spiel like that back of his hand. Then Clark would try to explain his side of the story, the other kids would deny it and claim Clark was lying, then the mothers would start to bitch, and then there would be shouting until everyone got punished. It's happened the last three times, it was bound to happen again.

The only new thing was the girl sitting beside Clark. She didn't have as many bruises or anything like Clark did, but she looked just as guilty as , if not more. He had to wonder if she was involved in the fight with Clark, or if she fought against Clark. Whatever it was, she was the only one who got out of it mostly unscathed. He had to wonder where her parent or parents must have been.

 _'Speak o' the devil,'_ Jesse thought as the door opened again.

"I apologize for being late."

Jesse could feel his jaw drop when the male walked in, and heard more than saw the other parents gasp at his appearance. That much leather had to be against school policy because he was clad head to toe in it. He wore the sharpest eyeliner than made his eyes look like a mere glance would put you six feet under, and the piercings lining his ear and nose made him seem like more of a teenager rather than someone's parent. He looked...dangerous.

And by appearance alone, the other girl must've been a menace if this was her father; he looked the part of a delinquent daddy and it seemed like she took after him, what with the dark colors she wore and the drawings up and down her arm like the sleeve of a tattoo.

"You must be Mr...Shimada?" The principal tried unsuccessfully to clear his throat and  _not_ stare at Mr. Shimada, even though he drew the attention of everyone in the room.  Not that Jesse was really surprised because damn Mr. Shimada was a looker. Even the sour-looking mothers were staring at Mr. Shimada like he was a snack. A very attractive, leather wrapped snack.

"Yes. Has Kaida done something wrong?" He chose to stand behind his daughter instead of sitting in the chair on her other side. It would've been a tight fit anyways; the office was too small for more than three people and the chairs looked haphazardly shoved in here to accommodate the mass of people having to sit in the cramped office.

"Of course she did something wrong!" One of the mother's screeched before the principal could even answer. "She broke my little Noah's arm!"

 _What?_ Jesse expected to hear that  _Clark_ did something like that, but this little girl? She'd been shaking since Jesse walked into the office, probably before then.

"Kaida!" Mr. Shimada said calmly. "Is this true?" 

The girl, Kaida, shook her head quickly. "N-no," she mumbled, playing with the bandage on the back of her hand. "I didn't touch him."

Poor girl looked terrified. She was probably the type to constantly get awards from principals, not get in trouble. She just about scratched off the floral pattern of her bandage.

"He tried to push her off the jungle gym and he fell!" Clark argued. "It's his fault!"

"She pushed me!" One of the boy's-Noah was it?- yelled back. 

And just like Jesse's expected, the yelling began. It was mostly the other parents yelling and the principal trying to calm them down. Clark looked like he wanted to argue but glanced back at him and sat silently. If he strained his ears, Jesse could faintly hear Mr. Shimada talking to his daughter in a foreign language and Kaida answering back, albeit with a stutter in her voice. Clark was glaring at one of the boys, who was glaring back, and Jesse decided that he could let this ride out for a while. If he interrupted, he would only turn their attention on him and he did  _not_ want them sticking their claws in him. Not after last time.

" _Quiet!"_ The principal snapped, his gaze sweeping across the room. "All the injuries have been dealt with, but can we please try to get the story from the children? Please?"

That seemed to shut the mothers up. Jesse was curious himself; Clark wasn't a troublemaker and always finished a fight, never started it. Now there was a kid with a broken arm? There was a huge story that needed to be told.

The principal listened to each kid tell their version of what happened: the other three boys had similar stories, claiming that Kaida started the fight, pushed Noah off the jungle gym, and then teamed up with Clark to beat them all up because Clark didn't like them. Clark claimed that he and Kaida were drawing on the field and they attacked her, which led her to trying to talk to a teacher but failing to get a response. So they ended up running to the jungle gym to try to hide. When Noah chased her and tried to take her drawing book from her, he kept trying to pull it out of her hands, and she let go instead of fighting him for i. Noah just fell off the top of the jungle gym and broke his arm. The other two tried to get her after that, but Clark jumped in to protect her. And Kaida, who seemed like she was very carefully choosing her words, said that she and Clark were drawing, then the boys started teasing her. She and Clark tried to leave, but the boys started throwing rocks at them and Kaida tried to get a teacher. When she couldn't that's when she ran away to hide and Noah chased her and the book thing happened and then Clark got jumped by the other two.

The entire time, the principal just nodded along and didn't say a word. His face didn't snow any of what he was thinking and he asked a question or two between each story. Jesse didn't see the point of this; last time he was here, it was because of these same three boys starting a fight with his kid. And the same mothers protest that their little boys would be troublemakers, that it would all be Clark But it was only because these boys were picking on him that Clark started fighting, not because he was starting fights. And the little girl? No little boy would ever admit that they had gotten beaten up by a girl, but she didn't seem like she'd purposefully start a fight.

"It's a little difficult to determine who is telling the truth. But we cannot ignore that students were hurt and that _something_ occurred. Until we determine who other witnesses may be, I'm afraid the children will lose their recces privileges until further notice. And since we have a no fighting policy and a fight obviously took place, there will also be some ISS that needs to be served."

 _'ISS?'_ Clark knew what ISS was; all the really bad kids usually got sent to a private classroom and didn't leave until their punishment was up. They always looked so mean and angry and it was always because of fight. But Clark was protecting himself! How could he get ISS for doing the right thing?

"They're getting punished without proper evidence?" It wasn't a question. That was clear from the tone of Mr. Shimada's voice. But he looked absolutely livid. Jesse almost flinched back from the look and it wasn't even directed at him! "Those boys barely have injuries, other than  _one_ broken arm and scratches. My daughter has bruises up and down her arm, on her leg, and this other young man can't see out of his right eye. Yet you need more evidence and  _they_ get punished for protecting themselves?"

"Your delinquent of a daughter-" One of the mother's started, only to be the new recipient of Mr. Shimada's glare.

The look directed at her should have killed her. "My daugter is  _no_ delinquent. She doesn't have a violent bone her in body."

"S-She broke my little boy's arm!" Even though she tried to sound strong, it came out sounding pathetic. She had to be afraid of what Mr. Shimada might do to her.

"A small price for all the damage he did to my daughter. She has a mark on her forehead, close to her eye. Had your son hit her in the eye, she could've lost her vision." His words were icy, stopping everyone in their tracks. There was a threat hidden in there that didn't need to be said. The implication was clear: had his daughter lost her sight, somebody was going to pay.

The principal cleared his throat, trying to draw attention back t him. Which was not a smart move because he flinched again when Mr. Shimada turned his glare again. "That may be, but we can't let them go unpunished. Regardless of the injuries on both side, all parties have to be punished until we get a witness."

Mr. Shimada clenched his jaw. "If a witness comes forward and testifies that no teacher moved to help either my daughter or this other boy, I  _will_ sue this school for negligence." He took his daughter by the uninjured hand and helped her stand. "Let's go Kaida. We're leaving."

Kaida seemed all too happy to leave, giving a quick wave to Clark before leaving. Mr. Shimada shot a glare at the mothers gathered in the corner. They all flinched back and gave him a wide berth to walk, which was impressive given how little room they had to work with. The principal spluttered, trying to call him back, but he was long gone.

Jesse looked at Clark and gestured to the door. They didn't need to be here any longer. Jesse was pissed. This wasn't the first time Clark told him about teachers being selective when it came to certain students and his son could've gotten seriously hurt. He wasn't about to sit here while Clark got in trouble for protecting himself and a friend. "C'mon Clark. Let's get going."

"Okay." He shot a glare at the three boys who glared back at him, the one with the broken arm giving the meanest glare. Jesse avoided looking at the moms and the principal, herding his son out of the room.

* * *

Once they got outside, Jesse took a breath to calm himself down. He wanted to go back in and tell the principal off for trying to punish his son over 'he-said-she-said' nonsense, but a bigger part of him wanted to set a better example for Clark. He chose to walk away rather than make things worse.

"Dad? Can I go play for a little?" Clark pointed to where the girl from earlier was on a swing, her father gently pushing her. "Please?"

"Of course Clark. Just be careful, alright?"

Clark was already gone, calling an affirmative over his shoulder. Jesse watched him appraoch the girl, speak to her for a little bit, then wait for her father to respond. It seemed like it was positive, so the two ran off to play with a ball off on the far side of the field. Mr. Shimada looked after them for a moment or two before making his way over to Jesse.

He wasn't sure exactly what to say to the other man, but Jesse had always been taught to be polite and it would be better to talk rather than standing awkwardly on a playground.

"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself." Jesse held out a hand to the other man, making sure to stare at his face rather than the tattoo he could see peeking up from beneath his collar. "I'm Jesse McCree. Clark's father."

Mr. Shimada took his hand cautiously. "Hanzo Shimada."

Jesse couldn't help but notice all the tattoos covering Hanzo's arms. It was impossible considering the sleeveless leather jacket, the dark ink catching Jesse's eye. "Gotta say Mr. Shimada, that's some mighty impressive ink you have there."

"Thank you. I did most of them myself. I'm...a tattoo artist," he explained. It sounded like he was a little cautious about admitting it, which Jesse could understand. People had a tendency to judge others based on their appearance and what they chose to do with their life, and being a tattoo artist probably got him odd looks.

 

"Really? You do some good work then." Jesse had a couple of tattoos himself, but the detail was nowhere near as good as Hanzo's. He felt a little self-conscious about them now; they seemed amateur compared what decorated Hanzo's arms.

Hanzo didn't respond, but there was a slight tilt to his lips.

Jesse looked over to where Clark and Kaida were tossing a ball back and forth. Clark didn't talk much about his friends, but he talked about Kaida a lot. Jesse had thought Clark had a little crush on her, and it seemed like his suspicions were true. This was the first time Clark had ever jumped in and beaten up three boys for a girl before, and the first he's ever heard of Clark hanging out with a girl in the first place.

"Kaida has yet to make a friend since she got here," Hanzo said, staring over at where the kids were playing and laughing. "She's had trouble fitting in; Clark is her only friend. She's been talking about him non-stop lately."

"Is that so? I was wondering about that. Clark's been talking about a girl in his class. He hasn't talked about anyone this much before and he's got a lot of friends. Maybe we should get them together for a play date every now and then. It'd do them both some good." Clark may have had a lot of friends, but he never showed an interest in seeing them outside of school. Maybe Kaida would be the difference. 

Hanzo actually smiled this time. "I think Kaida would like that."

Jesse found that he liked Hanzo smiling. It was much better than the frosty look from before. And in his honest opinion, those other parents kinda deserved it.

"Can you believe those mothers? I know a broken arm isn't anything to laugh at, but all he had was a broken arm." Kid was probably faking it to get Clark in more trouble.

Hanzo rolled his eyes. "I find it hard to believe my daughter actually broke his arm. Kaida does not even like killing insects; she may be afraid of spiders, but she will always make me release them outside instead of killing them. She'd never harm another child."

"I know what you mean. Clark would never start a fight, but if he has to, he'll finish it. I saw his bruises; that didn't look like he started anything." The fact that Clark had a black eye told him everything. Those boys really wanted him to believe that Clark gave himself a black eye? How stupid did that sound? "I just hope this all blows over." He knew it wouldn't, not immediately, but he wanted to hope that it'd be done with, that he wouldn't ave to come back to the office because Clark was involved in a fight, but it didn't seem that way.

"I hope this school has re-evaluates it's policies. They claim to be a bully-free zone, but my daughter gets picked on and bullied nearly every day. I was serious when I said I would sue for negligence."

They both lapsed into silence, just watching the kids play and have fun. Jesse couldn't help but smile, seeing his son having so much fun. He couldn't remember the last time Clark had so much fun. Lately, he seemed to be really sad and hadn't been acting like his usual self. But now, he seemed like he was genuinely enjoying himself. He wished he knew what he could do to make Clark happier.

"Kaida! It's time for us to leave!"

He was startled out of his thoughts at Hanzo's call and chanced a look at his watch. They'd been out here longer than Jesse expected. But he  _should_ be getting Clark home so he could do his homework and have dinner.

"You too Clark!"

They could hear simultaneous groans from both the kids, but they ran over to their respective fathers. Clark waved at Kaida and her and her father walked off to their car, Jesse's heart giving a little stutter when Hanzo turned and have him a small wave over his shoulder.

* * *

Clark was usually a chatterbox on the drive home, but he was quiet today, staring out the window as if the road they traveled hundreds of times was suddenly interesting. He was probably trying to avoid getting into an trouble on the way home. But they couldn't just  _not_ talk about what happened.

"Clark..."

"I'm sorry!" Clark said before he could even form that sentence. "I know you said no fighting, but they were picking on her and calling her names and tried to take her stuff away from her and she was crying and-"

"Clark, let me finish." The kid could be a little extra sometimes. Jesse knew Clark meant well, but he shouldn't have been so quick to assume that he was in trouble. "Clark, you know I don't approve of fighting. But I understand why you did it. Still, what did I tell you to do when you were getting picked on?"

"To tell a teacher. But dad, I did! They didn't help! They didn't even care! Had it been anyone else they would've, but not Kaida. And they don't like me." The last part was said softly, but Jesse caught it. And noticed the downtrodden look on Clark's face, a look that just didn't belong when it came to such an upbeat kid like Clark.

That last part was also troubling. For the past few fights, Jesse had just assumed that Clark had fought first without consulting a teacher. Now he knew that Clark had been trying, but no one listened. It hurt because that same thing had happened to Jesse back in school. He'd always been the troublemaker, the cheater, the kid who got blamed for everything even when he didn't do it. Now he was hearing that Clark was having problems getting help from teachers? All the fighting made sense now. He was definitely going back down to the school to talk to those people about this; no kid should ever be ignored when they needed help and no teacher should ever just make an assumption about a child. Clark was getting in trouble for no reason.

"...are you mad?" Clark said quietly. "I'm sorry if I made you mad. I didn't mean to Papa."

If he was being honest, no. He wasn't mad at Clark for sticking up for a friend, especially since the teachers were no help. The fighting was still an issue but he wasn't mad. "I'm not mad Clark, okay? It's just...this is the fourth fight. You're going to get ISS if this happens again, maybe even expelled. You're a good kid Clark, and I'm not mad at you for defending yourself or a friend. But fighting isn't always the answer." Had he been a little younger he would've thought differently and said that fighting usually got the job done, but he made a lot of mistakes in life and had a lot of things he wishes he could do differently. He didn't want Clark to grow up thinking that all your problems could be solved by a fight.

"Sorry," Clark mumbled. He really didn't mean to start a fight, but the teachers never listened to him! They always thought he was lying! And Kaida almost got hurt but no teacher helped. What else was he supposed to do?

"I told you Clark; it's alright."

But the look on Clark's face made it seem like the kid knew it wasn't alright. He had to do something to make him smile again.

"Clark, wanna go see Granddad at the restaurant? We haven't seen him in a while and I'm sure he wants to see you."

Clark's face immediately lit up. "Yes!"

Jesse smiled. There was Clark's smile.

* * *

Jesse basically grew up in Gabe's steakhouse. When Gabe first adopted him, he was usually there eating until he felt like he was going to pop, but only because Gabe couldn't believe how scrawny he was and wanted him to get more meat on his bones. Once Gabe had sufficiently fattened him up, Jesse usually spent time in the back doing homework and learning how to cook. It kept him from getting into trouble and he grew to think of the place as a second home after years of being around Gabe and his husband. When Clark was born, Jesse brought him to the same place that made him who he was and Clark couldn't get enough. Most of their meals were usually gifts from Gabe and Clark would always find an excuse to come.

Jesse had just barely put the car in park when Clark hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt and get out the car. "Hurry up Papa!" He bounced impatiently as his feet as Jesse deliberately took his time rolling up the windows, taking out the keys and locking the door behind them. He held out his hand for Clark to take, and the boy did, tough he tugged and pulled to get Jesse to hurry up. None of his urging really helped, but Jesse found it funny that Clark was trying so hard. Eventually, he gave up and just ran inside himself, Jesse following close behind.

"Grandpa Gabe!" Clark ran over to Gabe, who was wiping down a table when he looked up and saw Clark running towards him. He effortlessly lifted Clark into the air, a large smile spreading across his face. "Clark! How's my favorite grandson doing?"

"I'm good. I've been getting good marks in school."

"That's what I like to hear." He bounced Clark in his arms a couple times before holding him out a little to look at him. He gave Clark a once over and clicked his tongue. "What've you been eating lately? You look thinner since last I saw you."

"School lunch," Clark answered with a shrug. "It's not very good."

"Esos monstruos," Gabe muttered under his breath. "I've got some of my special macaroni in the back. How about we have a bowl?"

"YAY!"

Oh no, not again. Gabe  _stuffed_ Clark with food when they visited and always insisted that he was too thin. Jesse was feeding the boy properly, he was just small. And he was a growing boy, he just hadn't grown yet! "Gabe wait! We got food at home and Clark-"

"Jesse," Jack interrupted with a soft smile. "He's gone. Gabe's gonna let that boy have all the macaroni he wants."

Jesse sighed. It never failed, but he wished they could visit one time without Gabe sending Clark home with more food than they knew what to do with. "I wish he wouldn't. Clark eats just fine."

" _I_ know that. But that's Gabe." Jack gestured to the bar stool in front of him. "You look a little troubled. Everything okay?" He poured Jesse a glass of lemonade and slid it over to him. "You know you can talk to us about anything."

"I know." Jesse took the glass gratefully and took a couple of sips. "Clark's been fighting."

"Again?"

"Yeah. But I finally found out the reason. He's been protecting a little friend of his cus the other kids keep picking on her. Today just happened to be the worst since one of the kids got a broken arm."

"Clark didn't-"

"No." Jesse waved a hand. "He didn't break the kid's arm. He says the kid chased his friend up the jungle gym and tried to take her book from her, but she just let go and he fell." He had been thinking about it ever since he left the school. He had no idea that faculty and schools would ever turn their back on a child who needed help. It disgusted him that Clark had to resort to his fists to protect himself and his friend instead of being able to rely on a teacher. "And I believe Clark. I know he would never break someone's arm. Couldn't let him get in trouble for defending himself. I just..." Everything was starting to pile up at once and it was seriously taking a toll. It was one thing to take ten small punches, but taking one huge punch that felt like ten was something else entirely. And that's what it felt like. One huge punch to the gut and a constant drilling in his head. 

"And the ex-wife?"

"Still a bitch." Jesse had been fighting with her for the past three years over Clark. She claimed that Jesse was a bad influence on Clark and was an unfit parent, even though Jesse had a stable job and income. "She's trying to take me to court again over Clark and I when it comes to this. Clark's been back and forth between us and he doesn't deserve it." He put his hands over his face and took a shuddering breath, trying to calm down. Now was not the time to break down. "It's just hard right, especially with the shop not doing too good...I just wanna give up."

"Hey." Jack reached out and placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. When he was younger, he might've pulled away from the contact since he wasn't used to it. Now, the contact was needed. He felt so alone lately and it was nice letting it all off his chest. "You'll pull through this. We've been in difficult places before, but we've managed to pull through. This is another obstacle you have to overcome, and I know you can do it."

Jesse wasn't too sure. His previous obstacles had been minor; simple things that only required a bit of his time to solve. Everything going on now was more than that. If he couldn't get more customers in the shop and earn enough income to prove he could care adequately afford to care for Clark, he'd lose his son. Bills were stating to pile up as well and Jesse was constantly trying to find corners to cut just so they could make it through the month. 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Jack. Forgive me if I don't accept it at first."

"That's okay too Jesse. It won't work itself out immediately, but it'll happen in time. You just need to be patient." Jack grinned slyly. "Now, there's still a piece of peach cobbler I've been hiding from Gabe. It's yours if you want it."

Jesse laughed. "Can't say no to that."

* * *

Gabe came back out ten minutes later with Clark in one hand, who had cheese all over his mouth, and what looked like containers of food in the other. Jesse rolled his eyes as Gabe set down Clark on the stool beside Jesse and set a couple of containers down in front of him. " _This_ ," he said, gesturing to the containers in front of Clark. "Is Clark's lunch for the next week. And this," he hefted a contained up onto the counter. "Is dinner for the next month."

"Aw, Gabe! I  _can_ cook ya know! And Clark can't take this to school; it's too heavy for him."

"You expect me to just sit here, knowing my grandson is eating that disgusting mush school calls food? I raised you better than that  _hijo._ "

"I make Clark lunch every other day and we still have food from last time." He tried to push the containers back over to Gabe but he just got  _the look._ "Gabe, please." Clark was always "too thin" just like Jesse was "too thin" when he was younger. After Gabe adopted him the first thing he did, other than buy Jesse new clothes, was feed him. And kept feeding him. And didn't say anything when Jesse got up in the middle of the night for snacks. It was nice at first since Jesse barely got fed in some of the foster homes he stayed in, but he got tired of hearing that he was too thin after a while. Now Gabe was doing the same with Clark even though he ate well enough. 

Gabe stared back unflinchingly until Jesse relented and accepted the food, Clark's cheering not making it any better. It didn't matter what Gabe said, Clark was  _not_ taking any of this to school. He would eat too heavy and then not want to do anything for the rest of the day, something Jesse wanted to avoid in its entirety.

"That's what I thought."

Jack rolled his eyes. Try as he might to convince his husband that Clark was fine, it fell on deaf ears. Ever since Clark was born, Gabe had it in his head that Clark was too thin and too small for his age, especially considering Jesse's stocky build. Nothing he said every convinced Gabe otherwise.

"Alright you two. The dinner rush is about to start and Clark has homework. You'd better get home."

"So first ya stuff my kid with macaroni, now yer kicking me out? I really feel the love here Papi." He lifted the containers off the counter and stood. "But he's right. Say bye Clark. We'll be back Friday, okay?"

"Okay. Bye  _abuelo!_ Bye Grandpa Jack!"

"Bye Clark!"

"Make sure your dads feeds you!" Gabe called.

Jesse rolled his eyes. Clark would definitely rat Jesse out to Gabe if he didn't have any macaroni.

* * *

Jesse sat down at the table and ripped open a couple of envelopes. Now that Clark was fed, bathed, and in bed, he had time to do some work. But it was mostly bills bills and more bills. He was able to cut corners with the cable and internet, and while he complained sometimes, the food Gabe sent home let him save a couple of dollars on groceries which was a major help. But he had to take into account water, gas, electricity, clothes, and certain things he had to pay out of pocket, there was a lot of money that he didn't have right now. With his financial issues, issues with the shop, his ex-wife badgering him...

He wanted to scream sometimes. He'd been trying to hold on as much as he could for Clark's sake, but he just wasn't sure how much more he could take. He couldn't just 'hold on' and 'be patient'. If he couldn't figure something out soon, things were going to get worse.

"Dad?" Clark sat in the chair opposite him and stared at the bills scattered across the kitchen table. He tried to read what some of them said, tongue poking out in concentration, but Jesse doubted he actually knew they said. All he saw were the numbers, but Jesse wasn't too sure if he knew what the numbers meant. "Everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah." He felt bad about lying to his son, but he wasn't about to involved Clark in his issues. The kid still needed to be a kid; no need to get upset because Jesse was having a bit of an issue. "I'm fine. What're you doing out of bed? You should be sleep."

"You didn't read me a story." He set a book on the table and Jesse internally winced. He  _was_ supposed to have read Clark a story earlier. But he saw the bills that needed to be attended to and forgot all about it. Great. First he was forgetting about school meetings and now he was forgetting to read his son a story.

"I'm sorry Clark. I got a little busy. Why don't we head upstairs and I'll get ya settled in. What story did you want to hear tonight?"

Clark didn't answer. Instead, he took the book off the table and walked around until he was near Jesse. He climbed into his dad's lap and wrapped his arms around Jesse's neck. "I dunno what's making you sad, but hugs make people happy and you need to be happy."

Jesse hugged Clark back, wanting to cry. It's gotten to the point where his own son has seen how close Jesse was to snapping. He almost broke then and there, but he couldn't let Clark see him break down any further. 

"I'll read you a story tonight. Maybe it'll help you feel better."

Jesse wasn't going to tell him no. So he sat back and listened as Clark read him a story about...it was something about a monkey at the circus, Jesse wasn't sure. But listening to Clark stumble over a couple of words and sound them out soothed him in a way he didn't know possible. He dozed off a couple times, but he managed to get through the story with his son.

"Thank you Clark." Jesse gave his son a hug and ruffled his hair. "I think we both need to get to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight Dad!"

"Goodnight Clark."

And even though he tried to sleep, Jesse's mind was still running. All the worrying about bills and his ex-wife kept him up for hours. When he finally did manage to sleep, it was a restless, dreamless sleep.

* * *

The car ride was silent, too silent. Kaida was trying to distract herself by drawing in her sketchbook but Hanzo knew she was just trying to avoid his questions. He could tell by the tenseness in her shoulders and the fact that she wasn't doing lines, just coloring in messy patches that was nothing like her usual work.

"Kaida, we cannot just avoid what happened."

Kaida remained silent, nearly breaking her crayon from gripping it too tight. Hanzo saw a small piece of colored wax break from the tip when Kaida colored in another section of the picture.

"You can tell me what happened little dragon."

Kaida sighed, closing her book and putting her pencils away. "I tried to tell the teachers Papa. I really did. But they don't believe me. They never believe me and think I'm lying and the other kids make fun of me! So Clark came over and fought them and now he's in trouble because of me."

Hanzo sighed. This has been happening since they moved here. Kaida had switched schools five times in the past two years, all due to the constant bullying. This was one too many incidents of bullying and the first time Kaida had gotten hurt from it. He didn't want it to happen again but he was willing to do anything to keep her happy.

"We can change schools again, if you'd like." He already hated the idea of forcing her to make new friends, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. It was either change schools and start anew or risk the bullying getting much worse. Each option was only going to hurt Kaida or isolate her again.

"I don't wanna change schools again," she said quietly. "Then I can't see Clark. He's my friend Papa."

"But I do not want you to get hurt, nor get in trouble for defending yourself." Kaida wouldn't hurt anyone, Hanzo hadn't been lying about that, but he didn't want her to snap and do something drastic. Hanzo knew what it was like to be pushed to your limits and do something you regret. "It is your decision Kaida."

Kaida didn't answer. She stared down at her half-colored picture, idly drawing her crayon across the paper. Hanzo couldn't see her expression, but he just knew that she was upset, maybe even crying. He just wished he could do more to help her. The teacher didn't believe her and he couldn't follow her around school all the time to make sure that she would be okay.

They pulled up to their house in silence, Kaida having put away her coloring book in favor of picking at her bandage while Hanzo tried to think of something to say to her. There was a green sports car in front of their house, which could only belong to one person.

"Kaida, look who came to see you." 

Kaida looked up and saw two people exit the vehicle. She gave an excited little gasp and had a brief struggle to take her seat belt off, tugging as hard as she could until it came loose. She left her schoolbag on the floor and rushed out the car towards the two people. 

Genji saw his niece running towards him and opened his arms. "Hey Kaida!"

Kaida however, didn't spare him a glance, running into the arms of the second man. "Uncle Zen!" 

"Hello little dragon," Zenyatta greeted, lifting Kaida into his arms for a hug. "How are you?"

Genji sniffed, turning to Hanzo with a sad look on his face. " _I'm_ her blood uncle! Why don't I get a hug?" He looked over at where Kaida was laughing at something Zenyatta was saying and pouted. "Doesn't she love me?"

"Kaida," Hanzo called. "Don't be rude. Say hello to Genji."

Zenyatta let her down and Kaida ran over to him, letting him lift her up for a hug. She gave him a quick hug and smiled. "Hi Uncle Genji." When Zenyatta came over, she reached out to him and Genji had no choice but to hand her back over to an apologetic Zenyatta.

"Your daughter hates me." Genji shook his head pitifully. "She only likes me because I bring Zenyatta over. If I never married him, she'd hate my guts. Why does your daughter hate me Hanzo? What did I do?"

"Kaida doesn't hate you and you know that Genji. She just looks forward to the new colors and paints that Zenyatta makes for her. It doesn't hurt that he has many stories to tell and always slips her candy when he thinks I don't see him."

Genji pouted again, jealously staring at Kaida and Zenyatta. "So I have to bribe her? Good to know." More seriously, he glanced at Hanzo and noticed how  _tired_ he looked. "Are you okay anija?"

"I am f..." He almost lied to Genji and said he was fine, but Genji would easily see through it and call him out on it. "It's best that we talk inside."

* * *

Hanzo set to work making tea for himself and a hot chocolate for Genji. He knew that Zenyatta was in the other room, helping Kaida with her homework, so she wouldn't hear any of what was going on. She already knew he was upset, but he didn't want her accidentally overhearing what was really going on.

Genji, for the most part, sat patiently, admiring the artwork Hanzo had on the fridge. Most of them were drawings Kaida did at school or when she was bored. There were at least ten on them decorating the doors, with all the empty spaces occupied by silly magnets Genji bought him.

"Kaida drew all of those?"

"Yes," Hanzo answered. She was almost exactly like him, striving for perfection. The only pictures up on the fridge were the ones that she was sure were the best of the best, regardless of if she colored them. Many of them were animals, mostly dragons, but there were a couple buildings, people, and flowers up there. "Everything up there is something she drew by hand."

"She's very talented Hanzo. Some of these look almost real."

"She often watched me work in the shop when she was younger. Perhaps she picked up a few tricks." He finished preparing the drinks, dumping a handful of marshmallows and too much whipped cream to be normal to Genji's hot chocolate and adding a touch of honey to his tea. He set Genji's down in front of him, watching in slight disgust as Genji took a large gulp and got whipped cream all over his nose and even had a marshmallow stuck to the tip. But he knew better than to try and correct him. Instead, he took a sip of his own tea and waited for Genji to speak.

"How have you been Hanzo?"

Hanzo sighed. All the exhaustion from the previous days came out in that one moment, leaving him feeling heavy and loaded down with everything. "I have been better." It was the only thing he could manage to say.

Genji scoffed. "That sounds like the understatement of the century. You look like sh-like crap. Has Dad been harassing you again?"

Hanzo grimaced. 'Harassing' was far too lenient of a word.

A long time ago, before Kaida was born, Hanzo and his father Sojiro had gotten into a fight over what Hanzo was going to do with his life. From the moment Hanzo learned to talk, he'd been prepped to take over the Shimada family company, going to only the best schools and having the best tutors to help him along the way. It wasn't what he wanted out of life, but he'd been raised thinking that all he was good for was the company. The moment Hanzo actually thought for himself was the moment everything went wrong.

Hanzo started to be an individual, which pissed Sojiro off. Hanzo changed his wardrobe, his hair, got piercings and gave himself a tattoo, and basically did everything that was against Sojiro's wishes. He neglected a few of his studies in favor of pursuing the thing he wanted. It was because of this brief period of exploration that Hanzo discovered that business just wasn't his thing, but it was with art. He liked being able to create and express himself and found he'd rather be an artist rather than a business man. He brought up to his father that maybe the family business wasn't his thing.

That night, father and son got into a huge argument over Hanzo's life choices.

Hanzo found that he liked doing art and didn't want to take over the business; his father rarely spent time with them at home and spent most of his time at work. Hanzo couldn't even remember the last time he spent more than two hours with his father, and at most, maybe ten hours a week. In fact, Hanzo basically raised Genji and taught him how to be a man, not Sojiro. If not being there for people he cared about was what happened when he took over the company, then he didn't want a part of it. 

Sojiro hadn't liked that, insisting that he spent those long hours at work for his family. They wouldn't have had any of the luxuries they had, Hanzo and Genji wouldn't have gone to the schools they went to, and the family wouldn't live comfortably if Sojiro hadn't put all that time into the company. He paid for Hanzo to be his successor and just like Sojiro had taken control from his father, so would Hanzo. His silly dream of being an artist was just a silly dream. If Hanzo ended up broke and destitute because of some dream, Sojiro was not going to help him.

Hanzo told Sojiro that he could make it just fine doing art. Sojiro told Hanzo that if he pursued this dream, he wasn't getting any aid from Sojiro since Hanzo didn't want any part of the company; money was part of the company and if Hanzo wanted nothing to do with it, he got no money from it. Hanzo was fine with that arrangement and didn't care whether or not he got money from his father. He'd rather be there for his family instead of popping in every once in a while to see them, and if he ran the company, he wouldn't have time to see Genji, his mother, or anyone really.

With the money his mother had sent him (because she didn't believe in what Sojiro was doing), Hanzo moved to America, purchased a small studio apartment for himself, and an even smaller shop for him to do his tattoos in. Neither place was in the condition he wanted for himself, but he wanted to start fresh somewhere without the pressure nor influence of his family breathing down his back. He managed to turn both spaces into places he could be proud of.

But it wasn't as much of a safe haven as he thought. His father had influence all over the world apparently and sent people to... _convince_ Hanzo to come back to Japan and take over the business. Hanzo refused each time, so Sojiro started stacking the circumstances against Hanzo to try and force him to move. It got worse as the years went on, even after Kaida was born. Each attempt was more malicious than the last and it was really taking it's toll on him.

"It's...difficult Genji. Kaida has been having a hard time in school, and after the last 'inspector' came by, I'm not sure how much longer I can take this." He slipped a few papers out of his pocket and slid them over to Genji. "Those are the latest fines I had to pay because of violations."

He let Genji read over everything for a minute, taking calming sips of his tea in an attempt to settle down. He wanted to scream at how unfair this was, but screaming wouldn't help. He had to be strong for Kaida even if he wanted to cry.

"What the...ink storage? You got a violation for ink storage? How is that a thing?"

Hanzo had been trying to figure that out ever since he got the damn thing. "I don't know but I have a fine to finishing paying along with fixing all of these violations. If not, I have to shut down." And Hanzo had remolded and fixing the shop since he bought it all those years ago. The money he received from his mother went to bills and upkeep of the house, but everything Hanzo made from the shop, all the extra tips and little bits of money he had left over, went to fixing it up and making it better than it was before. To see his work taken from him by his father...

"Not only that, but Kaida's been having trouble in school and she was involved in a fight today and got hurt. Every time she goes to a new school, she gets bullied and it's taking it's toll on her. I hate that she's going through this but I cannot keep switching her school but..." He sighed heavily, putting his head on the table. A dull ache was forming at the base of his skull that was slowly getting worse. Sometimes they got so intense that Hanzo felt like he was going to faint. "I don't know what to do."

"I was wondering about the bandages. Kaida was in a fight?"

"Not a fight, per say but a couple of kids were bullying her and she got hurt. None of the teachers spared her a glance when she tried to get help." Thinking about it just pissed him off. How dare they just ignore his child when he was getting bullied? How dare they try to punish her for getting hurt?

"Again? Is she alright? Do I have to go down to that school? What kids were bullying her?!"

"Sit down Genji. She's fine. One of her friends stood up for her and helped her out, but they were both about to get punished. I managed to get her out of it without consequence but I shouldn't have had to. They should've listened to her in the first place and none of this would've happened." He could feel himself tapping his leg, a nervous habit he never got out of, as he tried to calm down. "I just..."

"Hey." Genji reached over and placed a hand on Hanzo's shoulder. "You know that if you need a hand-"

"No. I will be fine on my own. I am just going through a rough patch. I can get through it."

"Hanzo, we are brothers. I don't mind lending you a hand when you need it. And before you say it, I'm not pitying you or anything like that. I'm just trying to help my brother like he helped me."

Hanzo didn't know what to say.

Lucky for him, he was saved from having to answer when Kaida ran in, holding something small in her hands. "Papa look! Look at what Uncle Zen showed me how to make!"

In her hands were two small origami dragons, a little bit ripped here and there, but Kaida was proud of them and Hanzo found them cute. It looked like she tried to color one of them with a blue crayon but gave up when she realized she couldn't. 

"I made them for you." She placed them on the table in front of him, where Hanzo noticed that she named one of them 'Udon' and the other 'Soba', after their dogs. "I even made one for you Uncle Genji!" She placed a dragon she had tried to color green in front of him, this one named 'Ramen'. Genji pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "This is so precious." He placed a hand on his chest. "Thank you Kaida."

Hanzo accepted the hug that Kaida gave him. "Thank you little dragon. I will take them with me everywhere."

She smiled at him and ran off, probably to make more. Genji smiled at his own origami dragon, holding it like it was a baby. "She does love me!"

Hanzo rolled his eyes. He had told Genji that earlier.

* * *

"...and so, Princess Kaguya bid the emperor farewell and returned to the moon, where her radiance made the light of the moon look brighter than before. And each time the emperor felt sad, he'd look up to the moon and remember his closest friend. And from the moon, Kaguya would remember the time they spent together. The end." Hanzo closed the book and put it back on the shelf with the others. Kaida was almost sleep, Udon taking up the end of her bed like she usually did and Kaida holding onto her princess pachimari as she drifted off. Hanzo smiled at the image and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Kaida."

"Night papa," Kaida mumbled.

Hanzo made sure her nightlight was on before turning off the light, heading to his own room. He didn't close the door because the dogs had a habit of sleeping on the bed with her and used to scratch at the doors before they learned how to open doors themselves. It was just easier to leave the door open.

Once Hanzo was in his own room, he collapsed on his bed instead of changing into his night clothes. He wasn't going to cry, not yet, but all the exhaustion dragged him down and he didn't  _feel_ like changing. He was tired, but not in the sense that he wanted to sleep.

A small whine drew his attention to the door, where Soba was waiting to enter. Hanzo managed a small smile and patted the space beside him. "Come here Soba."

Soba padded over to the bed, hopping onto Hanzo's lap and stretching out rather than occupying the space beside him. Hanzo should've expected it; Soba didn't understand personal space and wherever he sat, he would stay until he got bored.

Hanzo just sat and stroked Soba's fur, letting his mind wander. He wasn't prepared for the inspector to come by because he just  _knew_ that he was going to get fined for something ridiculous and he couldn't afford another fine. The latest one was draining him of all his money and he was having a struggle paying bills. He hated having to ask Genji for money but it was likely that he had to.

Soba, probably sensing his distress, stood in his lap and started licking his cheek. Hanzo laughed and tried to push him off, but Soba was adamant about trying to cheer him up.

"I am fine Soba." He once again tried to move Soba away, but Soba didn't move. "Soba please."

Soba huffed at him, as if he didn't believe him.

"Alright. You win. I'm not okay." He placed a hand on Soba's head and started scratching behind his ears. "Sometimes...I do not want to get up in the morning. I barely manage to get up as it is. But...it's hard Soba. Very hard. I want to collapse sometimes." This time, when Soba licked his face, Hanzo let him. "But I know I have to be strong for Kaida. I can't let anyone see me break." He chuckled humorlessly. "Well, I don't have a choice with you, now do I? You forced me to tell the truth."

His only response was another huff.

Hanzo looked over at the clock. It wasn't too late, but he didn't feel like doing anything else right now. He tried to keep his shop as neat and orderly as possible but there was nothing much he could do. Everything that could possibly be wrong he fixed, even things that he wasn't even sure could be wrong. If he kept cleaning and trying to make things right, he was likely to go crazy. It'd be better for everyone if he went to sleep.

Soba was no help in letting Hanzo get changed, trying to play tug of war with his sleep pants and trying to jump on him while he was putting his shirt on. Hanzo managed to successfully get changed and lay down, feeling Soba settled down by his legs. Normally, Soba and Udon slept in Kaida's room and kept vigil over her. But Soba probably figured that Hanzo needed someone right now and decided to sleep here. "Goodnight Soba." 

Hanzo only hoped that tonight, he'd actually get a full night's sleep.


	2. Do It For Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to get up and face the day when it seems like nothing is going your way. But it isn't always about you; sometimes it's all for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter everyone just wanted our babies to be happy. Well...that won't happen for a while.

When Hanzo woke up the next morning, he almost considered not getting out of bed. Not because of laziness or anything, but just because he didn't feel like it. Every day he woke up was another day of risk; the inspector could be coming by at any time and Hanzo just  _knew_ there would be something ridiculous wrong with his shop. He couldn't afford another fine and he wasn't going to work for the family company; he wanted to watch his daughter grow up and be there for the important moments, unlike his father who only heard about Hanzo and Genji’s accomplishments days (sometimes weeks) after they happened. He grew up hating his father and he didn't want Kaida to grow up hating him.

The only thing that was worth getting up for in the mornings was Kaida. He needed to see his little girl, get through the day for her, be the role model father she looked up to. He was a hero to her and what kind of hero disappointed the people who looked up to them? No, he couldn't do that to her. For Kaida, he'd be willing to face any challenge.

Soba seemed adamant to try and keep him in bed, growling every time Hanzo tried to push the covers away and just laying on his chest to try and keep him down. Hanzo had to lift the large dog off the bed and shut the bathroom door to prevent Soba from holding him up any further. Regardless of how much he just wanted to pull the covers up and just lay there, allowing Soba to win, he still needed to get Kaida ready for school and get to work. He had three appointments lined up today, two sleeve sessions and a coloring, and there was a lot to do to prepare. 

Soba clawed at the door and whined, but Hanzo didn't open the door until he was properly washed and half-way decent. He didn't exactly have a work uniform since he could wear whatever he wanted, but he still liked to be presentable at his work place. Could he have done a little bit more than black pants and a hoodie? Maybe, but he hadn't picked out his outfit the night before and the trouble of finding something better just didn't seem worth it.

He walked down to Kaida's room, Soba following close on his heels, and peered inside. Udon was still at the foot of the bed, though she opened her eyes and huffed when Hanzo walked in. The more obedient of the two, she hopped off of Kaida's bed and let Hanzo move closer to wake her. 

"Kaida. It's time to wake up." He gently shook her shoulder, knowing that it was a dice roll when it came to waking her up in the mornings. Sometimes she woke easily and sometimes she was stubborn. Hopefully this would be an easy morning, but Kaida did inherit his penchant for favoring sleep rather than facing the world. This might be a morning where he'd have to fight to get her awake.

As suspected, Kaida turned over, burrowing under the covers until only the crown of her pachimari was visible. Udon tried to nose at her through the covers, but Kaida scooted away and groaned.

"Come on little dragon. Wake up."

Kaida lowered her blanket just an inch, peeking at him from under the covers. "Can I sleep a little longer?"

He wanted to say yes and go back to sleep himself but that wasn't possible. "Sorry, but you have to wake up. You have school today."

She slowly pushed the covers off of her and rubbed her eyes. Soba helped her wake up even faster, running to her side of the bed and licking her face. Kaida giggled and got out of bed, making sure to fix the covers properly and set Princess Pachimari on her 'throne' among the others. Once she was sure her room was in order, she opened her arms for a hug, which Hanzo gladly gave her. "Good morning papa."

"Good morning Kaida. Did you sleep alright? No nightmares?"

She shook her head. "No nightmares."

"Good." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and set her down on the floor. "Go wash up and get dressed while I make breakfast." He whistled for Soba and Udon to follow him, knowing that they tended to distract Kaida from getting ready in the mornings since they liked to play and Kaida liked playing with them. This way, he could get them fed and make sure Kaida would actually get ready this morning.

Cooking was something that Hanzo really enjoyed, contrary to what people might believe of someone who came from a rich family. Hanzo was always impressed with the meals the chefs prepared and wandered into the kitchen one day to see how they worked. One of them offered to let Hanzo take the reigns and teach him the basics, and from then on, he flourished. Now, Hanzo couldn't stay out of the kitchen and Kaida enjoyed watching him and learning herself. Since the two of them were picky eaters, Hanzo liked making meals for them and experimenting with what he could do.

He decided on pancakes this morning, a partial attempt to try and start Kaida's morning off on a good note and also because he had a little time to spoil everyone this morning. He refused to let her eat school food because he didn't trust those chefs or anyone at that school and because she was picky. Pancakes, especially when Hanzo made them into shapes for her, always made her happy.

"Good morning anjia." Genji yawned as he walked into the kitchen, gratefully accepting the mug of coffee Hanzo had the foresight to prepare earlier. Genji was not an early bird and often woke up due to the insistence of his very early-riser husband, who spent his mornings either going for a run or meditating. Genji was working on it, but he still had trouble waking up before 11 AM. Hanzo always had a cup of coffee ready for him when he stayed over because it was the only thing that woke him up.

"Good morning Genji." They had been up talking for most of the night, so late that Hanzo felt bad about unloading his problems onto Genji. It felt nice to vent a little but he hadn't meant to keep his brother up worrying about him. "How did you sleep?"

Genji took a gulp of coffee before answering. "I...did not go to sleep immediately."

Something about the tone had Hanzo worried. "Why not?"

"Mother called."

Hanzo's grip on the spatula tightened. Their mother was still in Japan, as she had her own business to run, but always tried to check in on Hanzo once a week usually to tell him good news, send him money, or speak to Kaida; a call from their mother was always good news. But Genji's tone implied that she wasn't calling for a good reason this time around. "How is she?"

"She's doing well...but...I'm going to be honest with you Hanzo. She called to warn us about father’s newest scheme to trip you up and...it was bad. She managed to delay him but it sounds like it was going to be malicious in nature and could really ruin you. But," he held his hands up his hands in what was supposed to be a placating manner. Not that it helped but Genji was trying. "In better news, she's sends you and Kaida her love and is also sending you money for the fine. And a little extra for you and Kaida to survive off of. Aaaand a little more because wants to spoil the two of you."

That eased some of his worries, but not all. The delay was good, as it would allow him a little bit of breathing room and give him time to find little nuances that might need fixing. But by Genji’s tone of voice, this newest plan was likely to leave him broke and force him to shut down. It didn't matter how much money their mother would try to send, their father wouldn't give in until Hanzo submitted.

"Did you tell her-"

"I didn't speak a word about your troubles. She found out on her own and she's pissed at father for what he did. She doesn't want to see you fail. You know that."

Hanzo knew that. His mother saved him and Genji many times when they were younger, always lightening Sojiro's punishments or making things the slightest bit more bearable. She had once tried to push Hanzo into taking the company, but when she saw how miserable it was making him, she relented and tried to talk Sojiro out of it. When it failed, she vowed to help Hanzo from the shadows, turning her head when he snuck out of the house and padding his pockets with a little more money than Hanzo was allowed. She had been there for Kaida's birth and showed up when Hanzo first opened his shop. He wished his mother had moved to America with them, but he did understand that she had her own business to run that hadn’t yet expanded to America yet. It didn’t stop her from making sure her sons were comfortable and looking out for them every now and then, but Hanzo just wished she was closer to them.

"I must remember to call her and...thank her." As stubborn as Hanzo was, his mother was ten times more. If he said no to her help, she would just insist it on him until he took it, send it to Genji and get him to give it to Hanzo, or send it in the guise of it being for Kaida when it was really for the both of them. Regardless of how, she would make sure that Hanzo took the money one way or another.

Kaida came into the room around the time the pancakes were done, the dogs following her to the table and siting at her feet. They looked like they would doze off again, but Soba jumped up when Hanzo brought the food over to Kaid and Genji, probably thinking that it was for him. Kaida smiled at him and clapped when she saw the shape of her pancakes. "Thank you Papa! And good morning uncle Genji."

"Good morning Kaida. How are-hey!"

"What?"

Genji pointed at Kaida's plate with his fork. "How come she gets pachimari-shaped pancakes and I get boring old circles?!"

Hanzo rolled his eyes. He thought something had been seriously wrong. "Genji, Kaida is a child. You are a grown man."

"I like funny-shaped pancakes too!"

Hanzo held his composure. He wasn't about to get into an argument with his brother about the shape of pancakes of all things. He didn't have the energy for this.

"Can I have one Kaida?"

"But yours are bigger."

"Yeah but they're not fun."

”Genji, please.” This was not the conversation he expecting this morning. "Just eat."

Hanzo kept one eye on Genji as he turned to wash the pan, knowing Genji would try to sneak one of Kaida's pancakes or convince her to give him one. As if he was aware of it, Genji kept sneaking glances at Hanzo, trying to find the perfect time to try and pilfer a pancake. Kaida was unaware of what he was doing, dropping little bits of pancake onto the floor for the dogs to eat.

”Good morning everyone,” Zenyatta greeted, sounding far more cheerful and energetic this morning than his husband did.

”Good morning uncle Zen.”

”Good morning Zen,” Genji greeted, pecking Zenyatta on the cheek. “I am surprised; you're usually up before me, but you were still sleeping when I got up. I didn't have the heart to wake you.”

”There is nothing wrong with resting and getting the body ready for the morning. And there is nothing wrong with getting extra sleep when your husband keeps you up half the night with his snoring,” he teased.

Kaida giggled and Hanzo covered his laugh with a cough, placing a plate in front of Zenyatta. Hanzo remembered when Genji slept in his room when he had nightmares, which turned into sleepless night since Genji's snoring would keep him up. He could understand Zenyatta need an extra few minutes of sleep.

“I don’t snore!”

”Of course you don’t my sparrow. But you _are_ a wild sleeper.”

Hanzo couldn't hold in his laugh this time, and neither could Kaida nor Zenyatta. Regardless of Genji's insistence that he slept normally, Kaida and Zenyatta just couldn't stop giggling.

 _This._ This was the reason he didn't want the company. To be there for moments of laughter, to spend time with his family, to see the smiles on their faces. He wanted to watch his daughter grow up, watch her flourish, watch her accomplish all the great things he knew she could do. Hanzo wanted to give up sometimes but he  _had_ to fight to make sure he was there for these moments. If he gave up, he would risk losing all of this, and everything he loved. Giving up and giving in was the coward's way out, and Hanzo was no coward. He would keep fighting for his daughter and his family.

* * *

”Can you braid my hair papa?” 

Hanzo smiled. “Of course. Come here.”

Kaida sat on the floor in front of the couch, Hanzo sitting right behind her. Kaida liked having her hair braided almost as much as Hanzo liked braiding it. Her hair was long, at least down to her waist, and while it was a nuisance to care for sometimes, Hanzo didn’t have the heart to cut it. The length did provide him with a myriad of styles to try for her instead of leaving it in a simple ponytail. Kaida enjoyed the braiding and gave him the free will to do whatever style he pleased as long as it looked nice. 

”All finished,” Hanzo announced, tying a ribbon to the end. He decided on a spiral waterfall braid, as it kept her hair out of her face and allowed her to play without worry of it getting tangled.

“Thank you Papa!” Kaida stood and grabbed her book bag and lunch box from the table, straightening her skirt in case it was a little wrinkled.

”Do you have everything? Your homework and pencils?” He knew she did since he'd gotten her into the habit of packing her things the night before, but he wanted to be sure she was ready. Her teachers liked calling her out for every little thing; no need for them to get on her for forgetting homework. 

”Yes.”

”Good. Genji is going to take you to school, but I will try to pick you up afterwards, alright?" It wasn't all the time that he couldn't pick Kaida up from school but things happened that he couldn't control. He didn't say it as much as he should've, but he appreciated Genji's help when it came to Kaida.

”Okay. Bye papa!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Have a good day at work!”

”And you at school little dragon.” He hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the forehead, holding on for a second longer than normal. He still had trouble letting her go off to school; she wasn't a baby anymore and he knew that, but it was hard to accept the fact that she was growing up. He wished she could've been a toddler for a little longer. 

”Have a good day anjia,” Genji said, taking Kaida's hand. “And don’t worry; things will get better.”

”Thank you Genji.” 

* * *

The house seemed so much quieter after everyone left.

As much as he wanted to stay in the house with Kaida and watch movies with her or play games or  _something_ , he still had a job to do. But the silence was too much to bear. It left him alone with his thoughts and all those voices telling him that he failed. Voices telling him that he and his daughter would be better off if he had just obeyed his father and went back to Japan.

Hanzo  _hated_ it. 

Even as he tried to get ready for work and stay calm, he just couldn't. He knew that his mother was going to do everything in her power to help him, but the kind of reach and influence his father had terrified him more than anything he'd ever encountered. Hanzo could've been ruined ten times over because of the things his father tried, but he kept pushing and trying to succeed. He couldn't let Kaida or Genji or anyone down.

Still, the voices in his head wouldn't shut up. They kept telling him that his life would be so easier if he listened to his father, be the person his father had primed him to be all those years ago. To stop wasting his time in a profession that wouldn't take him anywhere and do something productive. If he wanted the best for his daughter, he had to do what he needed to and that was taking over the company. He had all the knowledge that it required and the attitude to handle whatever was thrown at him. He could be the man his father wanted for the company and make sure his daughter wouldn't worry about anything for the rest of her life.

But what lesson would that teach Kaida?

How could he face his daughter ever again if he gave up and did what his father wanted him to? He always told her to never give up, but if he gave in, what would she think of him then? He'd never forgive himself if he disappointed his daughter. That was out of the question.

All of the fighting he did was for her. 

Hanzo checked to make sure he had everything he needed for work. He wasn't going to let his father win, not today.

* * *

Hanzo's shop, Twin Dragons, was not the biggest tattoo shop in the city, but it did get its fair share of customers who appreciated his comfy little place. Maybe in the beginning, it had been small and a little bland, but as he grew in popularity and had more traffic, he'd been able to decorate the way he wanted and turned it into a shop he was proud of. 

The main colors were yellow and blue, a mix of a warm and a cool color to give a comfortable setting to the shop and make people less nervous about the whole tattoo process. All over the shop were examples of some of his own creations and designs, pieces Kaida drew that he hung up (Genji said he liked to brag about them), and Japanese decor that tied the room together. He had a counter filled with an assortment of stuffed animals for people to hold in case they were too nervous and didn't have a hand to hold, as well as a TV in one of the corners that he had on a music channel for people to enjoy. 

It was him all alone in his shop, and while he liked it that way, there  _was_ an increase in traffic lately and he did need a bit of help. He was starting to lose time with Kaida with how many appointments he had to schedule in a day and he needed to fix that. And he  _did_ have potential artists he'd want to work with him. Not at the moment since he had a little too much on his plate and he'd rather not bring in a new artist during all of this drama. Once everything was settled and his father wasn't breathing down his back, maybe he'd bring in someone new.

For now, working alone and taking on this stress by himself was the best option.

He had a long day ahead of him as it stood. Tattoo sleeves took long hours and could be annoying for people  who couldn't sit still for long periods of time. Sleeves started at the shoulder and ended at the wrist, depending on how large the person wanted it. The lining was one process that could take anywhere from two to five hours depending on how intricate or long the tattoo was. He might have to skip lunch with the way his day looked.

Just as he was getting ready to prep his station for the day, he noticed the two small origami dragons that Kaida made for him and smiled. They were his little reminders that Kaida was rooting for him in everything he did. 

Maybe the day wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

”Dad?”

Something nudged at his cheek, insistently trying to rouse him awake. Jesse groaned and tried to swat it away, trying to sleep once again when the nudging stopped. At least, for a moment it stopped. It started up again, more insistent this time.

”Dad.”

Instead of his cheek, something was shaking his shoulder, trying to force him awake. Not even rolling over stopped the shaking.

"Dad, wake up."

Jesse groaned, finally opening his eyes and glancing at the clock at his bedside. It was 7:24 in the morning, far past when he should've woken up hadn't slept very well last night, waking up at odd intervals because his mind wouldn't leave him alone. He knew he hadn't gotten a full night's sleep last night, hoping for at least three consecutive hours at least.

He rolled over again and winced. Clark was there, book bag on his back and lunchbox in hand. He usually woke up a half hour before Clark to get breakfast ready and here he was neglecting him. He needed to do a little better by his son; it was bad enough that Clark noticed his depressed state lately, but to start slacking on their routine? Unacceptable.

"Mornin' buddy. I know I was supposed to be up earlier. Sorry about that, Dad's a little tired." 'A little tired' was the understatement of the century but Clark didn't need to know that. He ruffled his son's hair fondly, smiling at him. Days got really rough sometimes, but seeing Clark made the day all the more bearable. The kid was the biggest and brightest ray of sunshine in Jesse's life.

"It's okay. I got dressed by myself!" Clark was wearing his favorite yellow plaid shirt, brown pants, and his black cowboys boots, the ones Jesse had custom-made for him. He even combed his hair, which was usually a chore in the morning since Clark had inherited Jesse's shaggy and sometimes unmanageable hair. "I even packed my bag."

"That's great Clark. Lemme go wash up and I'll make you breakfast, alright?" If he did anything, it was going to be make breakfast for his son so they could eat together. They didn't always get to have their meals together, but breakfast was the one meal that Jesse didn't like skipping. He liked seeing Clark first thing in the morning; it helped him start the day off right.

"Okay. I'm gonna go watch cartoons." 

Jesse watched Clark run out the room and sighed, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling as if the solution to all his problems was up there. He almost considered throwing on his sweats and a hoodie and taking a day for himself, but he quite literally couldn't afford that. It was just him in his little shop on his lonesome and even if he wanted to hire someone to help, he didn't have the money for that either. Taking even a single day off could tank his slowly dwindling business as it is.

Facing the day was the lesser of two evils.

Resigning himself to another stressful day, Jesse sat up and stretched, feeling aches he didn't remember having all over his body and his bones snap in satisfying ways. He groaned as he sat up and stumbled to his bathroom, making himself dizzy from getting up too quick. He leaned against the door frame for just a moment to get his bearings back and tried to clear his head. When he could finally see straight, he flicked on the light an approached the mirror. 

He looked just as bad and old as he felt, neglecting not only his son, but himself. The dark bags dragged his eyes down and made him look like he'd been in a really bad fight and was still trying to recover. His skin was a bit on the gaunt side from lack of sleep, food, and hydration.  His facial hair had definitely seen better days as his beard was starting to get scraggly; he hadn't had time to trim it lately and even though he saw it getting worse and worse, he kept telling himself he'd do it the next day and never did. Even his basic tasks took energy out of him that he didn't have to spare. He forced himself out of bed every morning and forced himself to go through his daily routine when he didn't see the point anymore. He didn't see anybody much, so why waste effort in looking nice?

Sighing, he splashed a little water on his face to wake himself up and went about his morning routine. He decided to forgo trimming his beard once again because he didn't have the extra time and it just felt tedious to do it. There was always tomorrow.

Once he felt somewhat put together and had his uniform on, he headed downstairs to get breakfast ready for the two of them. There wasn't much time for anything like pancakes or home fries that he'd normally make, but Clark wasn't a picky one so a simple breakfast would be fine. He should have enough time to make them both a grilled cheese before they had to leave.

He checked the fridge for ingredients and spied a container from Gabe he missed last night, labelled "breakfast" in bold letters. He should've known that when Gabe offered to help him "pack" the car, he was going to add a couple more containers. But Jesse wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and opened it up.

It was filled with nothing but baked goods and various breakfast foods, including cinnamon buns and pre-made omlettes, all things that he could easily heat up for the two of them to eat. Well, since Gabe had been so kind and Jesse needed a quick breakfast...

Jesse arranged four cinnamon buns on a tray and popped them in the oven, pouring them both a glass of milk to have with breakfast. He found a little tin of icing in there, along with other toppings to go with their breakfast, which he gladly set on the table as well. While he always had something to say when Gabe sent him these containers, they did help him in a pinch and in situations like this, when he was late in the mornings. Plus, he and Clark loved Gabe's food and didn't mind getting spoiled.

"Alright Clark! Come on for breakfast!"

Clark turned off the TV and took his place at the table, cheering when Jesse pulled their breakfast out the oven. "Are those grandpa's?!"

"Of course. Be careful though; they're hot."

Jesse iced all of the cinnamon buns and divided them onto their plates, laughing when Clark took a large bite and smeared icing all over his mouth. These moments kept Jesse at his calmest, when he could see his son laughing and happy. He remembered the emphasis Jack used to put on having breakfast together as a family and Jesse understood why: it was the most important meal of the day for more than one reason. For some reason, having breakfast with people you care about could make even the worst days a little bit brighter. Listening to Clark laughing and smiling made him forget about last night's worries and focus on the now.

"Slow down Clark! You'll give yourself a tummy-ache eating that fast."

Clark grinned around a mouthful of dough. "Sorry!"

Jesse chuckled and shook his head. Kids will be kids.

By the time they both finished, it was about time for them to head out. Jesse gave the dishes a quick rinse before setting them in the dishwasher, reminding himself that he'd do them later. He made sure he and Clark had their lunches before grabbing his work bag and heading to the door. "Let's go Clark."

"Okay!"

* * *

 _'Maybe those cinnamon buns were a bad idea.'_  

Clark was a ball of energy, talking a mile a minute about the cartoon he watched while he'd been waiting for Jesse and bouncing in his seat like there was no tomorrow. Not that Jesse really minded, since it made him smile seeing Clark's mood from yesterday gone. He'd been really upset even after they left the restaurant yesterday and didn't want to talk much the rest of the night. To see him smile was enough to make Jesse smile.

He hated the fact that he might ruin it.

"Clark, hold on a sec. I need to talk to ya."

"What is it?"

"It's about yesterday." He hadn't brought it up after they saw Gabe and Jack yesterday because Clark had been worried that he was in trouble because of the whole thing. But he needed to make sure they wouldn't have another "principal's office" incident or another risk of suspension. "Now, I know we already talked about this, but no more fighting. You're too good of a kid to get into trouble like this. You mean well and I know that, but those teachers are gonna keep an eye on you and think you're a trouble maker when you're not. So I need you to try and stay out of trouble. If it gets to be a little much for you, give me a call and I'll deal with it, alright?" He  _hated_ the idea of sending Clark to school when the boy didn't have anyone help him when he got into trouble and he _hated_ telling Clark to be the pacifist instead of defending himself. But Clark really was a good kid and those teachers were going to try and punish him for no reason. Being a pacifist was the last thing Jesse wanted to suggest but he didn't have many other options to keep Clark out of trouble, especially with teachers who didn't believe him. It was for the best that Clark didn't even think about raising his fists.

"Alright dad."

With the house-keeping out of the way, Jesse let Clark finish his tale about his cartoon. It made him laugh hearing Clark talk so animatedly, gesturing wildly and mimicking the fighting sounds to the best of his ability. Jesse listened to him tell the entire story of the show up until he pulled into the drop-off lane.

"You have a good day today Clark. I'll see you later." Maybe they could head down to the park later and toss a ball around. It'd been a while since they went anywhere other than home and to school, occasionally stopping by the restaurant, and they both deserved a little time to have fun.

Clark leaned up to give him a hug. "Bye Dad. I love you."

"I love you too buddy." 

Clark hopped out the car and gave him one last wave before going to join his friends. Jesse looked after him with a smile, watching him until the parents behind him started honking and he couldn't see Clark anymore.

 

* * *

The shop Jesse owned was a little place nestled in a plaza on a relatively active part of town. Not near the epicenter of activity, but enough cars went by that there would be some sort of traffic to keep him busy. Even though most cars still bypassed his little place and risked making their problem worse by driving the extra few miles to the fancy place, Jesse got  _some_ customers every once in a while.

His affinity for all this mechanic work started back when he was in a foster home, a year before Gabe adopted him. He had wanted to leave that damn place for so long that he found an old junker car and set to work fixing it, spending countless hours surrounded by engine parts that he fiddled with to finally get his car working. The day he met Gabe for the first time was the day he was going to leave the place. And he left alright, but not in the way he wanted.

After Jesse was adopted, Gabe had went back and got the car for him, telling Jesse that if he could keep the car if he worked for it and wasn't a little shit. Jesse didn't mind, finding that he liked working on his car, and Jack's (because Gabe didn't let Jesse touch his car at first) when he was allowed. He just...he liked working with his hands and with car parts and it seemed like something he'd be good at. Gabe pushed him to pursue that passion and here Jesse was. Then came schooling, buying his shop, doing something he loved...and here he was. He was almost living the dream. Almost being the keyword.

He didn't have everything he wanted, but he was alright with what he had. He had his shop, his family, and his son. He didn't know what he would do without his family, and he was sure he would've lost his mind a long time ago if he hadn't had Clark. The kid was his everything, the reason he woke up in the morning, the reason he worked so hard, the reason he didn't want to just give up. And there were mornings when he wanted to say 'fuck it', hole up in his house, and just stay for as long as it took for things to go right. But he had a son to think about and he wasn't going to let Clark see him fail. He'd do everything in his power to make sure Clark stayed happy and healthy. It was his job as a father. All the stress he felt from all the hours he worked disappeared when he saw Clark and it reminded him of why he worked so hard in the first place. It was all for him.

Jesse was arranging his tools for the day when he spied a small blue note tucked into the corner. He didn't remember leaving it there last night when he packed his tools, so he either forgot about it or Clark left it for him.

Inside was a drawing of Clark and Jesse holding hands, surrounded by a big heart. On the bottom was a simple message of "Your the best Dad in the world!" that Clark had signed his name on. Clark must've slipped it into his box when Jesse was distracted. But it was a nice surprise to find.

Smiling, Jesse taped it onto his computer so he would always see it. The day might be long, but he could get through the day for Clark.

* * *

Hanzo leaned against the side of his car and looked around for Kaida, ignoring the looks he got from the other parents. He'd been showing up to this school for three months yet all the parents still gawked at him and protected his kids like he was a danger to them. A few of them had verbally confronted him about how he was raising Kaida. He didn't pay mind to any of them; he knew he was a good father to Kaida and he knew his looks didn't define him.

"Papa!" 

He glanced up to see Kaida running towards him. He knelt down and opened his arms, hugging her when she ran full force into him. "Hi Papa!"

"Hello little dragon. How was school?" His last appointment cancelled on him, which gave him just enough time to head down to the school and pick up Kaida. He'd been considering calling Genji to pick her up as a favor, but he was glad he didn't have to.

"Good. I drew you a picture!" She pulled back from the hug to hand him a large piece of white paper. "It's you as a superhero!" 

 

Hanzo couldn't help but smile at the drawing. It was Hanzo as some sort of cyborg ninja, colored in with grey and orange. He had some kind of mask covering his mouth and a black and orange bow on his back. She even drew orange dragons below him that she named after their dogs.

"D-Do you like it?" Kaida asked hesitantly.

"I love it Kaida. Thank you." He really did like it. It was an adorable drawing and it only reaffirmed his beliefs. Kaida saw him as her hero, and a hero he would continue to be for her. "I'll take it to work with me so I see it every day."

"And then everyone will know you're my hero!"

Hanzo laughed. "Yes." He gave her another hug. "As your hero, I'll always protect you Kaida. Remember that."

* * *

The day had been long and Jesse was glad it was over. Apparently, the huge shop downtown had a bit of a backup today so all the cars that they couldn't see had come to Jesse's place. The increase in traffic for the day was nice but it took its toll on him. But he did tell Clark they were going to the park and he kept his promises to his son.

He saw Clark exit the school with one of his friends and look around briefly before spotting him. He smiled, said a quick goodbye to his friend, and ran over to him. "Dad!"

He ruffled Clark's hair and smiled. "Hey buddy. How was school?"

"It was good. But look: I drew you as a cowboy superhero!" Clark proudly showed him the picture he drew. It was Jesse was some kind of masked superhero, dressed in a blue mask, black cape, and large black top hat with a blue stripe. Clark even drew him punching someone that looked vaguely liked Superman with a metal arm. Cute.

"You have a cool metal arm and a gun and you can shoot thirty bad guys a once! But the teacher didn't let us draw weapons so I couldn't draw the gun, but you're super strong and your cape lets you go invisible!"

"You see me as hero Clark?" He had to admit it was a creative idea. A cowboy superhero huh? That sounded kind of cool. "One that can punch Superman?"

"Yeah! Heroes are strong and brave and never give up. Like you! You could totally beat Superman in a fight!"

He didn't know if he'd go  _that_ far, but it warmed his heart seeing this. If he was Clark's hero, he was definitely going to do all he could to keep him safe and happy. Heroes all protected what was important to them. And Clark was the most important thing of them all.

"I'll keep you safe from all the bad guys Clark. I promise."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a moment I made myself sad thinking about my babies being hurt, then I remember that I planned out all this hurt and I feel even worse.
> 
> Also yes, Clark drew Jesse as Mystery Man and Kaida drew Hanzo as Cyberninja.


	3. Playdate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark has a playdate with Kaida, Jesse learns more about Hanzo while worrying about his next court date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like flower crowns and this story is going to be like, 80% shenanigans with their kids and the other 20% will be the romance slow burn stuff.

"You got everything you need Clark? Crayons, books, toys you wanna take?" Clark had a habit of forgetting things when he was excited. It didn't bother Jesse too much; Clark was excited at the idea of having a playdate with Kaida and hadn't stopped talking about it since Jesse set it up. Jesse had never seen Clark this excited when he saw his other friends. Maybe he had a little crush on Kaida? It would explain why he'd jump to her defense all the time and wanted to see her so badly...

"Yep! Did it last night!" Clark slung his bag over his shoulder and smiled. "I'm ready."

"Ya sure? Got your inhaler just in case?"

"Yep!"

"That just about does it then. Let's head out."

In truth, Jesse was glad Clark was going to see Kaida instead of Kaida coming over to their house. It wasn't that the place was dirty, but Jesse's ex-wife had sent him a text Thursday night saying that she was coming over this Saturday. And since he and Macy couldn't be around each other for more than five minutes without it turning into a screaming match, he'd rather not expose Clark and his friend to one of their arguments.  It was better this way for everyone. 

But he didn't want Clark gone. Clark kept him sane, kept his anger in check and calmed his nerve. While he didn't want Clark to witness the inevitable fighting that would happen, he just knew he would need something to ground himself or he'd absolutely lose it.

He had to think of Clark though. He hated it when parents involved their kids in their fights and he wasn't about to do that to Clark. As far as Clark knew, he saw his mom on certain days and was with his dad for the rest. He didn't know  _why_ his mom and dad didn't live together, didn't remember ever living with his mom, and never saw his mom and his dad happy together. And Clark was happy this way. If keeping him away from his mom kept him happy and keeping him from their fights kept him sane, Jesse would do his best to keep it that way.

* * *

Mr. Shimada lived in a slightly better part of city. It was closer to all the main parts of downtown, the houses were a bit nicer, and damn it, if he could afford it, he'd want to move over here. It was the perfect distance away from the school, his job, and downtown and it just looked nicer around here. That, and every few houses he spotted a pool and he was slightly jealous of that.

Before he could even ring the bell, he heard dogs barking from the other side, and they sounded like big dogs. The barking only got louder when he actually rang the bell and he could hear Mr. Shimada trying to corral them from behind the door. There was a bit of a scuffle than Mr. Shimada opened the door, holding his leg out to stop a fairly big Akita from crossing the threshold.

"Hello Mr. McCree," Hanzo greeted. "And hello Clark."

"Hi Mr. Shimada." 

"Hey Mr. Shimada. How's it going?" If he was being honest with himself, Jesse was still a little taken aback by Mr. Shimada's looks, especially now that he was dressed so casually. A loose tank top and sweatpants did nothing to hide Mr. Shimada's figure and showed off the extent of his tattoos.

"I'm...good." Jesse didn't miss the slight hesitation but it wasn't his place to question him about it. Even if he could, Mr. Shimada changed the subject before he could bring it up. "Kaida has been talking non-stop about this playdate for days now. She's excited."

Jesse smiled down at his son, who bounced eagerly on his feet. "Same for Clark. Never seen him this excited to spend time with a friend." He didn't know what else to say, so he bent down to give Clark a hug. "Have fun today Clark. I'll be back to pick you up around...4? Is that alright with you?" He was really asking Mr. Shimadabut Clark nodded anyways.

Mr. Shimada smiled and nodded. "That's fine."

"Alright. Bye Clark. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye dad!" 

For a moment, he almost didn't let go of Clark. He didn't want to go back to a house that would soon get rowdy in all the wrong ways. But, Clark wanted this and Jesse wanted to make sure his son stayed happy. He had to regretfully let go and wave to his son as Hanzo led him inside and shut the door.

* * *

He should've made an excuse to stick around. Should've chatted up Mr. Shimada a little more so he could avoid this. Damn it, he should've suggested that they all go out somewhere or do something together so he could've forced Macy to reschedule. He  _really_ didn't want to do this right now. He'd actually gotten a good sleep last night and woke up feeling refreshed. Then he remembered what was going down today and his mood went to shit; he had to meet his ex-wife today for a reason he was scared to discovered.

Jesse didn't  _hate_ his ex-wife, but he _strongly_ _disliked_ her, especially in recent times. When she wasn't yelling at him about Clark or what he did wrong, all he did was insult him and flaunt her new rich boyfriend in his face. He tried his best to make their marriage work but it fell apart and it felt like he had been putting in all the work to make it better while Macy pulled away and grew distant. He was thinking that they needed therapy but then Macy got pregnant and Jesse falsely believed that maybe this would change them for the better and it only got worse...

Now there was a huge custody battle going on and Macy was coming over today to yell at him about it. Again.

_'Shoulda stayed with Clark.'_

As he expected, Macy was waiting for him at his door. And by waiting, he meant she was banging on his door like a madwoman, screaming obscurities he definitely didn't want children hearing (he was definitely glad he sent Clark to someone else's house today) and threatening to call the police. His neighbors looked like they were seconds away from calling the cops themselves, and to be honest, Jesse contemplated sitting in the car and having her arrested. But he didn't want his door broken and he was taught to face his problems head-on, even if he didn't want to.

"Macy. _Macy_. Macy!" He grabbed her fist before she could do anymore damage. "Are you out of your mind?! You trying to get arrested?! Why would you come screaming an hollering up to my door like that?"

Macy threw his fist off, matching his glare with one as ferocious as his own. "Where were you?! I called you three times and you didn't answer! You  _knew_ I was coming by today."

"You-" Jesse took a breath to calm down. He didn't want to do this out in the open, where everyone could hear his business. His neighbors were nice, but they were really nosy and liked to gossip about anyone or anything. He didn't need what went down here all over the city. He hurriedly unlocked the door and shoved it open. "Get inside."

"What did you just-"

He didn't give her a chance to answer, shoving her none-too-gently inside. "Get in!" He was normally a gentleman but all of that disappeared whenever Macy was around. It was like he was a completely different person around her instead of his normal level-headed self. She woke something very dangerous in him just by being in his presence. 

Jesse rested his forehead against the door and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths like Gabe taught him.  _'Don't let her get to you Jesse.'_

Finally, he turned to face her. 

"Clark!" Macy called, stomping through the first floor like she owned the place. "Clark! Where are you?! Mama's here!" She ignored Jesse entirely, going into the kitchen and the den to look for Clark. His toys were everywhere but he was nowhere to be seen.

When she didn't get an answer nor hear Clark running down the stairs, she fixed him with a glare. "Where's my son?"

"He's at a friend's house."

"Which friend?"

"A friend." He wasn't about to tell her anything about Mr. Shimada or his daughter. Jesse just  _knew_ that Macy would use that information to track him down and harass him, or assume that he was Jesse's new boyfriend or something and make his life miserable. Either way, Jesse wasn't telling her. Clark was out having fun, Mr. Shimada was trying to enjoy his day, and Jesse didn't want to interrupt either of them. "He's fine Macy. What did you want to talk about?"  _'And please make it short.'_

"No. Where is my son Jesse?"

"He's. Fine." Like that, he already lost his patience. "He made a new friend and wanted to have a day with them. So I took him over to their house."

"A new friend? Someone _completely_ new?" Jesse didn't like where this was going. "So you left him alone with a stranger?!"

"He's not with a stranger! I met the guy before and he seems pretty nice. Plus, he's got a daughter and I figured he'd be more comfortable if he could keep an eye on his daughter rather than worry about her." Growing up, he always worried about his little sister hanging out with people he didn't know at their houses and he figured that since Mr. Shimada had a young daughter, he'd feel the same way.

"Jesse, you sent our son off with some strange man and you're not concerned? See, this is what's wrong with you! You never think about what you're doing. Who knows what this man is really like? 

No no no. He didn't want to do this. He wished she would just say her piece and get out. "Macy, unless you have something of substance to talk about, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I really don't want to get into it with you today."

Macy rolled her eyes, digging around in her purse for a moment before she presented him with a stack of papers. Jesse took one look at the front page and had to stop himself from throwing them back in her face. Her petition to re-examine their custody status on Clark had been approved and he was due in court again. "Macy, are you serious?!"

"I don't think Clark is emotionally stable living with you. He's been getting into more fights and I don't think you're equipped to take care of him."

She sounded smug. She sounded really smug and it pissed Jesse off to no end. As if she knew she'd already won and was taking Clark with her. "I do fine taking care of Clark and he's perfectly stable with me. But fine. You wanna fight? Then you got one." He marched over to his door and yanked it open. "Now get the hell outta my house."

Macy looked like she wanted to protest, like she wanted to scream at him or maybe hit him, but instead of doing all of that, she simply walked out. Maybe she decided it wasn't worth it or maybe she was scared Jesse might do something to her. Whatever possessed her to leave, she did so quietly.

Jesse collapsed against the door, letting the papers drop from his hands and sliding to the floor. He didn't need this. He didn't need this today. He had just started to feel a little better and now he felt like he had no energy. He shouldn't have felt so worried about the petition, but the court  _could_ give Macy primary custody based on his finances. He could provide well enough for him and Clark but he had to cut a lot of corners lately and that might look bad. And the fights might be taken into consideration too. There was a lot that could be used against him, a lot Macy could use to change their agreement.

A lot could happen that could get Clark taken away from him for good.

"Damn it. _Damn it!_ "

* * *

It took Jesse more energy than he had in him to get up off the floor after Macy left. He was torn between trying not to punch a hole in the wall and trying not to break down. It was too much all at once. For a few precious hours he was feeling good about himself. Now it was all coming down at once and he didn't know how to push it away. Why,  _why_ would the courts suddenly think they needed to re-open their case? What happened? What went wrong? Why was there sudden need for change in their arrangement? Would he actually lose Clark this time.

No, no he couldn't lose Clark. His sanity depended on Clark. He couldn't lose this battle. He'd give up any other battle, lose any other fight, but not this one. He'd fight tooth and nail for Clark if it came down to it.

But why did it have to? Why did Macy spring this on him?

He didn't know how long he sat there, waiting for the red to clear from his vision and for his head to stop pounding, but it only became clear he was there for an extended period of time when his back started aching ad his legs cramped. When he tried to stand, his legs almost gave out on him. God, he felt so old! He was still relatively young, could still do a lot of things around the house and not get tired but for the past two years, he felt like an old man. Always tired, bones always aching, little patience and a lot of stress. He needed a break, something to do to distract him from everything. Had he been a little younger, he would've fallen into old habits to make himself feel better. But he was older and more responsible now; his old cures wouldn't help and he'd be damned if he turned back to that life.

Well, Jesse had two hours before he had to get Clark. He was on that floor for literal hours boiling in anger; he didn't get to do anything he'd wanted to today. Damn Macy just  _had_ to come by and ruin his day.

Jesse sighed. What a waste of a day.  

* * *

"Hey Mr. Shimada. I'm here for Clark."

Jesse ended up working on his old Bel Air for the last two hours. He wanted to do it earlier but he couldn't bring himself to stand up and do anything. And it was one of the only things he could do to calm himself down; he had the car since he was a teenager and still hadn't let it go, despite the fancy new models out today. He liked his old car and it ran like it was something brand new anyways. He could just let his mind drift while he worked and before he knew it, it was time to get Clark.

"Please, call me Hanzo. And of course. Though, I'm not sure he wants to leave just yet." He gestured for Jesse to come it, having to push one of the dogs from the door to let him in. "They're watching a movie right now and I doubt they'll get up."

Jesse laughed when one of the huge dogs immediately jumped up and tried to bowl him over. Hanzo muttered something under his breath and grabbed the dog's collar, trying to pull him away. "Soba isn't aware of how big he is and likes to jump."

"It's fine." His father's dog was like that, always wanting to be picked up or sit on someone without realizing he wasn't a puppy anymore and was too huge for that. 

Hanzo led him to the living room, where Kaida and Clark where on the floor, laying on the other dog who was dozing underneath them. They didn't react when Hanzo told them that Jesse was here and they didn't even flinch when Soba squeezed himself between them and laid down.

"Heya Clark."

"Hey dad." Clark didn't even turn his head, just waved.

Hanzo chuckled. "You see? This is how they've been for almost two hours."

Jesse shook his head. It must've been a good movie to hold Clark's attention like this. "C'mon Clark. We'd better get home so you can have dinner."

"Wait, no! I wanna see the end!"

"Clark..." They really shouldn't intrude on Hanzo any longer. It was getting late and they needed to get ready for tomorrow.

"Please dad!" Clark turned the puppy eyes on him which was Jesse's downfall, only made worse considering Soba chose that moment to lift his head and whine, like he was also protesting Clark getting up.

"Well...alright, but we've gotta go afterwards, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you!"

Hanzo nodded his head for Jesse to follow him, probably knowing they wouldn't get anything else out of the kids. They ended up in the kitchen, Hanzo making coffee for the both of them. Jesse gratefully accepted his cup, needing the quick boost of energy. He didn't drink coffee this late in the day but after not eating or drinking at all today, he'd take anything.

"What're they watching anyways?" It didn't look like a movie Jesse had ever taken Clark to see, but if Clark was using the puppy eyes to stay, it must've been good.

"Princess Mononoke. It's one of Kaida's favorite movies. She insisted that they watch it and they haven't moved since we turned it on." Hanzo started cutting a piece of cake and, realizing he was being rude, took out another plate. "They have another half hour in there. Would you like a slice of cake in the meantime?"

Well, he was more of a pie guy but he hadn't eaten all day and the cake looked _really_ good. "Sure. Thank you kindly."

Hanzo chuckled, cutting a generous slice that Jesse realized _wasn't_  actually his, but for Hanzo himself. The second, smaller piece was Jesse's. "So the hat isn't just for show?"

Jesse smiled. "It's part of my...what do the kids call it nowadays? Aesthetic."

A smiled found its way onto his lips and a small chuckled escaped Hanzo, who looked like he was trying to contain it. It failed, but Jesse rather liked Hanzo's smile. He looked so young when he was smiling.

They chatted about little things while they were waiting for the movie to finish. It was mostly about themselves, learning the most trivial things about one another and mostly talking about their kids. Talking to Hanzo almost made him forget about his worries from earlier in the day. Almost.  

"Excuse me if I come off rude Mr. McCree," Hanzo said. "But there's something I must ask."

"Well shoot. And Jesse's fine darlin'."

"Jesse, you look..." Hanzo paused to search for the right word. "Stressed. Is everything okay?"

Was it really that obvious or did Hanzo pick that up just from talking to him? "Truth be told Hanzo...I'm not. I'm havin' a bit of a crisis right now and it's..." he huffed. "It's draining me. Can barely get up in the mornings."

"I understand. I've had mornings like that myself and I..." he cleared his throat, the icing he was toying with now a colorful mess across his plate. "Listen...Kaida and I go to the park every Sunday to walk the dogs and I let her play around a little. Maybe you and Clark would like to join us? I know they'd like spending more time together. Maybe you'd also like to get out a little?" He coughed again and looked into his mug. "Sometimes getting away from it all can be cathartic," he said quietly.

The offer was disguised as another playdate for the kids but Jesse knew exactly what Hanzo was doing: extending a helping hand while using the kids as a front. And to be honest, Jesse didn't remember the last time he went out just for fun. He was either going to work, going to Clark's school, or going home. He _did_ promise Clark they'd go to the park soon and they just never did. A day out for the both of them might've been just what he needed.

"That don't sound too bad. Sure, Clark and I would love to come along."

Hanzo smiled again and Jesse smiled back.

* * *

Once the cake and coffee was finished, Jesse and Hanzo headed back into the living room after chatting a little more, only to find that the kids had fallen asleep and the credits were rolling. The dogs had re-arranged themselves to make the kids more comfortable, Udon still acting as their pillow while Soba acted like a blanket, draped across their legs. Jesse didn't have the heart to move them since the scene was just too cute, but they had to get home and this little nap might mess up Clark's sleep schedule.

Jesse leaned down to lift Clark up, but Soba immediately jumped up and snapped at him.

"Soba!" Hanzo scowled. "I'm sorry Jesse, Soba does this all the time. I don't let him sleep in Kaida's room because he won't get off of her." He had to fight him a little, but Hanzo managed to wrestle the dog off without waking the kids. Soba didn't look too happy about being held back and whined when Jesse scooped Clark off the floor and grabbed his bag.

"Wanna meet up around...noon tomorrow?"

"That sounds fine. I'll see you tomorrow Jesse."

For the first time in months, Jesse was actually looking forward for the next day.

* * *

The park wasn't as full as it could be on a Saturday, with only a few couples here and there and a couple of teenagers walking around with their phones out. A few guys were on the grass trowing a ball around but the park was relatively empty.

Hanzo and Kaida were sitting on a bench nearby with their dogs, looking around for them. Kaida seemed to spot them first and waved them over. Clark waved back and ran over before Jesse could stop him. Hanzo looked up when Kaida ran to meet him halfway, smiling at Jesse as he approached.

"Good afternoon Jesse."

"Hey Hanzo. How's it going?"

"We're fine. Kaida barely slept last night she was so excited for today."

Jesse ruffled Clark's hair. "Same for this one here. Was so jumpy from all that cake you sent him home with too." But Clark couldn't be blamed for eating it all; Jesse may have snuck a piece in the night while Clark was sleeping. "He needs to burn off all the energy."

"They both do." Hanzo stood and readjusted the leashes. "I figured we could walk the trail a little bit while it's empty."

"Fine by me. Haven't been on this trail in a while." They were only outside for a few minutes and Jesse was starting to feel better. Probably because he didn't get out much anymore, not with how his schedule was. He hadn't even taken the car for a drive anymore; he spent all his time in all of three different locations. It was pitiful to think about.

Kaida tugged on the edge of Hanzo's shirt. "Excuse me Papa, can I play Pokémon?"

"Sure. Just be careful, okay?" He unlocked his phone and handed it to her, the application already starting up. 

"Okay."

"Let me guess: she's addicted to Pokémon Go?" Jesse was well-acquainted with that game. Every time they got in the car, Clark asked for his phone so he could play, even if they were just going to the store. Gabe showed it to Clark one day and Clark was obsessed with it.

"Yes. My brother introduced it to her and now she wants to play every time we go out. My brother will take her to my job because it's one of the "stops" in the game. They'll come to visit me of course, but they ignore me in favor of playing." 

Clark turned, but before he could ask, Jesse handed him the phone. "Yes you can play too."

"Thanks Dad!"

Kaida and Clark started talking about what they caught and where, how many Pokémon they had caught, and who was their favorite. And just like that, they were in their own world, leaving Jesse and Hanzo to walk after them.

"Welp, we're being ignored." Jesse shoved his hands in his pockets and followed behind the kids, who just seemed to know where they going without looking up. "They'll come to us once our batteries die or when they get bored."

"Considering the amount of time Kaida has put into the game, I doubt they'll get bored easily." 

There were two trails, a long one and a short one, that wound around the park and into the woods. They decided to take the longer one and walked in relative silence, stopping every once in a while so the kids could catch something, challenge a gym or participate in a raid. The dogs tried pulling Hanzo off the trail to chase a squirrel or roll on the ground but Hanzo kept them in line. And though he still had a lot on his mind, Jesse felt...relaxed. He wasn't lying when he said that he had never taken this trail; he and Clark, when they came to the park, only tossed the ball around on the field. Now that he was walking it, he'd like to take it again one day, maybe take a run through it.

"This is the happiest I've seen Kaida in a long time," Hanzo murmured as they watched the kids play. Kaida and Clark were pointing the phones at a nearby pond, laughing and pointing at something on the screens. "She gets bullied far too often in school and comes home upset."

"I can't imagine why. She seems like a sweetheart." He'd only been around her twice, but each time, she was nothing but polite, a little shy, but nice. She couldn't see why someone would try to bully her. 

"Kaida is shy, but she is the sweetest girl you'll meet. I have no idea why she gets bullied when she goes to school, but it's taking a toll on her." Hanzo smiled slightly when the kids started cheering and jumping.

Jesse knew the feeling. Clark had been getting into spots of trouble at school, even before he was protecting Kaida. Jesse couldn't figure it out either; Clark was a good kid, and he wasn't just saying that because Clark was his son. Clark wouldn't just be cruel to someone like the kids were to him.

"Clark is the same way. He comes home sad and tries to pretend it's alright. I don't remember when it started, all I remember is noticing him not acting like himself. Now I know why and his teachers aren't any help. I wanna pull him out that school sometimes, but he likes it there and the only other school is four miles away." He considered switching Clark's schools a few times before, but it wouldn't work out well for either of them. It was really far away and Clark would have to get up extra early so he could get there on time.

"Kaida is tired of switching schools. She hasn't said it, but I know she's tired of it. But I don't know what to do. Sometimes I want to pull her out of school, but I don't want her to switch again. I just..." he sighed, shoulders slumping with the movement. "I don't know what to do."

Something tugged at Jesse's heart, something bad. Hanzo didn't look right with that look on his face. That sad look. It pulled his face down and made him look so weary. Compared to the smile Jesse saw yesterday, this look was entirely foreign. He didn't like it.

"Hey now, not yer fault those kids are ass-I mean, really terrible kids." He almost slipped and forgot there were still kids in their vicinity. "And sometimes, it's okay to not know what to do. It's part of being a parent." He knew there were time when he didn't know what to do with Clark, especially when he was a baby. Those were the most stressful years of Jesse's life. He eventually learned how to be a better parent, but he still didn't know what to do with Clark all the time.

"Perhaps you are right."

Jesse steered the conversation elsewhere, feeling like the atmosphere was taking a dip. Worries were for some other time, not when they were trying to have a good day. "So what made you decide you wanted to be a tattoo artist?"

The smile from yesterday was back and it lifted Jesse's heart. "I got tattoos in a show of rebellion when I was younger, but I found that I liked art and I liked the way they looked. Making my own designs and helping people express themselves through their tattoos...it was just something I really enjoyed. I took some classes, became an apprentice, and one thing led to another." He gestured to the ink decorating his arms. "I came to be where I am today and I love it." He sounded so fond talking about his passions like that; he must've really loved his job. "What made you decide to be a mechanic?"

"It's not much of a story." He found his passion as a teen and in a..different way than most. "When I was younger, I was in and out of orphanages and I hated it. I had enough of being told I'd never be adopted and one day decided to learn everything I could about cars and engines so I could steal one and get out of there myself; didn't have to wait for someone to adopt me if I left on my own." And he would've gotten out of there had it not been for Gabe's arrival. "When my dad eventually adopted me, he took the car I was plannin' on stealing and told me I could have it if I got it workin' properly. Then he told me I had an affinity for workin' with my hands and pushed me to go somewhere with it instead of getting into trouble. Never thought I'd be making a living doing it but here I am." He probably would've been on the streets if not for Gabe. He was grateful everyday that he had good parents behind him. 

Kaida and Clark ran back to return the phones, the batteries not dead but sufficiently drained. The only thing they said was "we have all the gyms" and ran off to play in the field. Hanzo and Jesse took that opportunity to sit down for a minute and let the dogs off leash for a while, though they ran after Kaida and Clark instead of heading off to chase small animals.

"This is nice," Jesse said after watching the kids play for a while. It wasn't too hot or too windy, no one was around to bother them, and he just felt at ease. Maybe it was being outside for the first time in a while or maybe it was being around Hanzo. Either way, he just felt better. "Can't remember the last time I've been out here."

"I try to take Kaida as much as I can. Sometimes we draw and sometimes we walk this trail. I can pretend that my problems don't exist." Hanzo sat back on his palms and tilted his head up, soaking in as much sun as he could. To anyone else it was just a man relaxing on the grass.

To Jesse, it exposed the column of his throat and the little ink markings that inched up his collar. And was _extremely_ distracting. Jesse wasn't shy about admitting someone was attractive and Hanzo was like a damn supermodel.

He was so distracted by Hanzo's looks that he almost missed Kaida and Clark running up to them with the dogs.

"Papa, I made you something!" Kaida held up a tiny flower crown made from the wildflowers in the field. She and Clark were wearing crowns they had made earlier, and even the dogs had their own little flowers crowns, though Soba was trying to eat his. It was too cute for him to handle.

"For me? Thank you Kaida." Hanzo took the crown from her with gentle fingers and sat it on his head, adjusting it a little so that it sat comfortably on his head. "How do I look?"

"Pretty!"

Jesse covered his mouth with his hands, trying to cover a smile. ' _Oh lord that's cute. How is a grown man with tattoos this cute?'_

"I made one for you too Mr. McCree." She held up a slightly larger flower crown for him, one that matched the crown Clark was wearing. Clark looked at him eagerly, urging him to put it on.

"Why thank you Kaida." He took off his hat and set it to the side, carefully taking the flower crown and trying not to crush it. It was a little bit of a struggle, but he managed to get the crown on his head without it falling apart. "What's the verdict? Do I look good?"

Clark and Kaida nodded. "Really good!"

"I think I like the flower crown as well," Hanzo agreed. "It suits you a little better than your hat does."

Jesse laughed, feeling himself blush. "Really? Think I found my new look then."

The laughter from all three of them was like music to Jesse's ears.  

* * *

"Alright, call logs, report cards, notes from teachers, my income..." Jesse scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed. He really didn't want to go to court again. Last time was horrible; there was a lot of shouting and the judge nearly threw them both out for their behavior. He would try to be civil this time but there was no guarantee, especially if Macy tried to goad him again.

The flower crown he left sitting on his desk caught his eye. It had wilted since they had gotten home but it reminded him of earlier. They were at the park for hours, first walking the trail, then cloud watching, then playing games with the dogs until the kid were exhausted from all their play. They parted ways shortly after with the promise to get the kids together again and maybe make the park excursion into a weekly thing. Jesse liked to think that he found a friend in Hanzo, someone he could hang out with and talk to. He could be overthinking it of course and Hanzo was just being polite, but Jesse felt like there was a friendship brewing between them.

Maybe that was what he needed this whole time: a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, Jesse develops a crush on Hanzo and has had a day to relax for once. I wrote the park scene first and did not know where it should go. Hope you guy enjoyed!
> 
> Come chat with me on Twitter or Tumblr


	4. Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo has a panic attack after a terrifying phone call and feels like his world is crashing down on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't intend to keep hurting my babies like this, they will have some good days. Will this chapter feature a good day? No, but good days will come.  
> Also, goofy dad Hanzo is my new shit.

"Where could she be?"

Hanzo flipped over a couple of couch cushions, pretending to look for something even though what he was looking for was nowhere near the couch. "Hmm..."

He could hear Kaida's giggles from the coat closet but pretended he didn't, not even sparing a glance in that direction. He'd seen her duck in there earlier during their game but he wanted to keep up the illusion that he didn't know where she was hiding.

"Where is that naughty little dragon?"

Kaida giggled again, peeking at him through a crack from the door. Hanzo could see her out the corner of his eye but didn't acknowledge her quite yet. He got down on his knees and reached under the couch as if she were there and wasn't surprised when his hand found a toy rather than his daughter.

"Maybe she's in the kitchen?" He dusted off his pants and stood, heading to the kitchen to "search" for Kaida. He watched her retreat deeper into the closet when he passed by and heard her giggle again. All he had to do was wait...

The closet door creaked just a tiny bit. Hanzo whipped around and darted forward, snatching Kaida the moment she took a step out of the closet. "Got you!"

"Ahh!"

Kaida squealed as Hanzo grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the air, tickling her stomach. She squirmed in his grip and kicked but couldn't get free. "Papa!"

Hanzo chuckled, delighting in her laughter. "You can't hide from me little dragon." He stopped tickling her, giving her a moment to breathe. Kaida was still giggling and smiling at him, though she was breathing heavy. "Now, no more running. It's bath time."

Kaida groaned. "Noo. I wanna play more Papa."

"It's almost bedtime Kaida. We can play tomorrow."

She pouted but allowed Hanzo to carry her to the bathroom for her bath.

Hanzo was glad Kaida was gradually getting back to her old self. She'd been so sad before, never wanting to do much other than draw and color, but she was beginning to be her happy self again. She wanted to go out into the backyard again and climb the trees and she just smiled and laughed a lot more. Sometimes she'd have bad days and get depressed, but she'd been having fewer and fewer. Maybe something changed at school or maybe hanging out with Clark made her feel better. Regardless, her mood had improved drastically and Hanzo was proud of it.

* * *

Kaida was bathed, hair washed and dried, and dressed in her pajamas ready for bed. Soba and Udon jumped onto her bed as Kaida grabbed a pachimari from her collection and went over to her bookshelf to choose a story for the night.

"Alright, which story would you like to hear tonight?"

Kaida peered at the numerous books crammed into her bookshelf and hummed. Many of the books were worn from repeated tellings, as there were certain stories Hanzo himself liked reading to her, and there were stories Kaida knew by heart that she liked hearing over and over. Or sometimes, Hanzo would make up a story to tell her at night, sometimes silly stories from his childhood or just random events he made up.

"Momotarō."

Ah, she did feel like a classic tonight. Kaida knew Momotarō by heart since the children's version was slightly more humorous than the original tale, but she loved listening to the story regardless. "Very well. Let's get you tucked in."

She climbed into bed and got settled in with her pachimari, Udon curling up at the foot of the bed while Soba flopped onto Hanzo's lap once he sat down. When Kaida was comfortable and looked at him expectantly, Hanzo began to read.

Kaida drifted off every now and again during the story but Hanzo knew from experience that she wasn't actually asleep. She'd know when Hanzo trailed off during a section or stopped completely because she wanted to hear the story through to the end. So Hanzo continued to read even though it sounded like Kaida was asleep. When he finally finished the story, he noticed Kaida had a small smile on her face.

"Thank you Papa. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Kaida. I love you."

"I love you too Papa."

Soba did not follow Hanzo into his room this time, opting to stay with Kaida. Maybe he sensed that Hanzo was in a good mood and didn't need comforting tonight. And honestly, he felt really good lately.

It was only a week, but for this one week, Hanzo was content. It started with the park visit last Saturday and seemed to continue all the way to now. The money his mother had sent him helped a lot, allowing him to fix the little odds and ends in the shop, pay the fine, and he still had money left over for anything else he might need. That took a lot of the stress off his shoulders, knowing that everything in his shop was fixed for the upcoming inspector (and Hanzo poured over the regulations to make sure everything was in order).

Business had also picked up a little and would keep him relatively busy for the next month. He scheduled at least five appointments for the next month, some touch-ups and others were first time tattoos to do. Where he thought business had slowed considerably, he actually just had to be patient. Now he had more going on in the next month than he had over the last few months.

He was just getting himself ready for bed when he phone rang, his mother's number flashing across the screen. Odd, because his mother knew that this was around the time Hanzo went to bed and would just send him a text or call him first thing in the morning. Hanzo hoped nothing bad had happened; that was the only reason she would call him so late.

"Hello?"

_"I see that this is the only way to contact my son. Honestly Hanzo, is it too much to ask that you call your father once in a while?"_

Hanzo's blood ran cold. All this time he thought he was safe, but who was he kidding? He knew his father's reach, knew his father had people all over the world. He knew his mother would never willingly hand over her phone if Sojiro wanted to contact Hanzo, but he'd gotten it somehow. Somehow managed to catch Hanzo off guard. Like he always did. Sojiro Shimada was not a man to be taken lightly; when he wanted something, he'd get it.

Hanzo could've hung up, he should've hung up the phone, but hearing his father's voice froze him in place. Even though there were thousands of miles apart, Sojiro still had power over Hanzo. Made him feel like a child again.

_"You won't even greet your own father?"_

His voice wouldn't come out. Hanzo felt his mouth moving, was forming words, but there was no sound. He had questions, wanted to know how his father had gotten a hold of his mother's phone and why he was calling all of a sudden but he just couldn't say anything.

_"Very well. I won't keep you for long. I just wanted to let you know that I'm impressed with you. Being able to keep up your lifestyle just from tattooing? Not something I'd ever imagine someone of your caliber doing. It's just something so...mundane, but you seem to be doing well for yourself."_

_'Why?'_ Hanzo wanted to asked.  _'Why is he calling all of a sudden?'_  

_"And I see my granddaughter has made a new friend. It looked like she had fun with that boy in the red shirt in the park. I don't think I've ever seen him before, nor that man in the ridiculous cowboy hat you were spending time with."_

He felt like his heart was about to give out. No. No, there was no way. There was no way his father could've seen them in the park. He was all the way in Hanamura and Hanzo had moved as far away as humanly possible. He was all the way in America and cut off all contact with his father. How could he have known who they were with and what they were doing unless...unless...

Unless he had someone trailing Hanzo? Someone who'd been extremely close, close enough to know that Clark had been playing with Kaida and what Jesse wore. Someone had been  _following him_  for who knew how long. Someone was keeping tabs on him and relaying it to his father. The thought of someone so close to his daughter terrified him.

_"I'm not going to beat around the bush Hanzo. I know you're trying to make a name for yourself and survive, but that isn't who you are. Shimada don't just **survive.** We do more than that. We thrive. I cannot believe you're living check to check. That isn't the life you deserve."_

This was an argument they had many times before and no matter what Hanzo said, his father always thought he was wasting his potential being an artist instead of going into business. Even though it wasn't as bad as before and Hanzo had a little bit of money between checks, his father didn't see that. All he saw was Hanzo struggling to raise his daughter and wasting his potential.

_"You and Kaida could live a much better life back home. Kaida could study in the best schools and you wouldn't have to worry about her education or anything. No bullies, the best tutelage, and so many opportunities for her to thrive. Don't you want better for her?"_

Years ago, Hanzo might've caved. His daughter meant the world to him and after she was born, he vowed to do anything to keep her happy. There were days where he didn't eat or sleep just to make sure Kaida was alright, that she had enough food to eat and she never knew he was struggling. And struggled a lot during the first few years on his own; he wanted better for the both of them and there were times when he thought moving back might be for the best. If it meant a better life for Kaida, Hanzo would've done it, even if it meant going back to Hanamura and being forced into business. He would've risked his own happiness just to make sure Kaida kept a smile on her face.

But then Hanzo remembered how suffocating it was as a child. He was always stuck in a room with piles upon piles of books and papers on his desk, always forced to work and learn new things. He didn't have much time to be a kid, and his relationship with Genji became strained as Hanzo couldn't afford to spend any time away from his studies to play with him. He couldn't do anything but study and learn and work. His father confiscated anything that could be seen as "fun" and destroyed all of Hanzo's artistic supplies gifted to him from friends and family. Surrounded by work and no time to play or express himself. Trapped.

That was  _not_ the life he wanted for Kaida. She didn't deserve to be trapped and unable to be creative. He wanted Kaida to be able to play and be free and enjoy being a kid. He didn't want her in a school that took away individualism and creativity and only forced kids to learn subjects day in and day out. Hanzo remembered the school he and Genji went to, where they were forced to wear uniforms, didn't get a recess, and only studied in every period. He didn't want Kaida to go through that. He and Genji didn't get to  _be_ kids for long. He wouldn't wish that on anyone nor did he want his own daughter to suffer like he did.

"Kaida has a perfectly normal childhood here and she's happy." Just imagining Kaida stuck in a boring, monotone school unable to do what made her happy pissed him off. His father was trying to guilt him by using Kaida as a bargaining tool, but it wasn't going to work. Kaida's life was perfect the way it was and so was Hanzo's. Struggling was a part of life, but Hanzo would continue to struggle and stay here for the both of them. As much as Hanzo struggled, he was happy here. They both were. "We're living perfectly content lives here and I won't let you take that away from us."

_"Is content all you want Hanzo? Think! You don't have to settle on just being content!"_

"I  _am_ thinking and we're more than content. We're  _happy_ and we like it here. Nothing you can say will  _ever_ make me move back to Hanamura and ruin what I've built. I don't want Kaida growing up suffocated like you did to me. I got myself and Genji away from that life and I'll never introduce it to Kaida!"

There was an intake of breath on the other end and Hanzo was sure he was about to get a lecture. But surprisingly, his father sighed. " _Very well Hanzo. I'll respect your decision."_ The 'for now' was unsaid, but Hanzo heard it clear as day. _"But trust me, you will realize that a better life awaits you in Hanamura. Oh, and Hanzo?"_

His finger hesitated over the 'end call' button, but he foolishly didn't press it. 

_"The best of luck to you on your next inspection. I'll be hearing from you soon."_

It took all of Hanzo's power not to throw his phone across the room. The willpower to calmly set the phone on his bedside dresser took everything in him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and whatever courage he had before was gone. He felt like a child again, his father able to shut him down completely with just a couple of words. That last sentence, the last thing his father said to him had him on edge. It was clear that his father knew the inspector or had paid him off or  _done something_. Whatever it was, it was going to ruin Hanzo's shop and his career. Coupled with the fact that his father had someone stalking him had him even further on edge. It could be anyone. Someone Hanzo had randomly passed in the park, or even worse, a customer at his shop. Who was to say it was only one? There could be multiple people following him around, following his  _daughter_. What if someone spied on her at a school? What if one of those teachers wasn't actually a teacher? What if-

"Papa?"

Hanzo jumped, putting a hand over his heart. Kaida. It was just Kaida. He needed to calm down. His own daughter almost gave him a heart attack and his own paranoia was going to kill him. "Kaida, what are you doing up? You should be sleeping."

Kaida gave him an odd look (or as odd as a child could give) and climbed onto the bed beside him. The dogs trailed behind her, Udon licking Hanzo's cheek and Soba laying his head in his lap. "You were loud Papa. I heard you. Are you okay?"

He hadn't even realized he'd been talking out loud. And wow loud must he have been if his daughter could hear him from down the hall? He didn't want Kaida to see him breaking down. He didn't want to lie to her but she'd worry about him and she'd been doing that a lot lately. "Papa had a scary dream Kaida." 

Kaida gasped. "Oh no! Are you okay Papa?"

"I'm fine, it was just...really scary." It was terrifying. Hanzo could still hear the taunting tone in his father's voice and his hands wouldn't stop shaking. He should've known. He should've known his father wouldn't have just let it slide. His father had been furious when he left, vowing that he'd make Hanzo see the errors of his ways, that he'd come crawling back to his father. And those last words weighed heavily on his mind; they could mean anything. Ever since his departure from Hanamura, it was like life kept throwing trial after trial at him, each one harder than the last. 

Kaida watched him a for a moment, then hopped off the bed. "Wait here!"

Hanzo watched her run out of the room and couldn't help a chuckle. He had no idea what was going through her mind but she looked so determined when she got off the bed. So he did as she requested and waited, which didn't take long as she came back with a book and two pachimari in her hands. She climbed back onto the bed and settled in Hanzo's lap. "I'll read you a story and sleep here, like you do when I have a scary dream. I even brought you a pachimari to keep you safe so the scary dreams don't come back."

Hanzo smiled. He had such a sweetheart for a daughter. "Very well."

It took a moment to rearrange themselves with the dogs laying all over them, but Hanzo managed and listened Kaida read to him. He didn't know what the story was but listening to Kaida read did calm him down. She stumbled over a couple of words and had to get Hanzo to help her sound them out, but Hanzo did feel himself slowly starting to relax. His lids started to grow heavier and it was getting harder and harder for him to stay awake to hear the end of the story. Kaida kept reading, blissfully unaware that Hanzo was falling asleep behind her. As hard as he tried, his eyes kept closing for longer periods of time. Eventually, Hanzo stopped fighting it and let his eyes slip closed.

The last thing he remembered before he drifted off was Kaida kissing his forehead. "Goodnight Papa."

* * *

Hanzo ended up having a nightmare that night.

He didn't remember much of it, but he did remember some startling details. He remembered Kaida crying because she didn't want to go to school, complaining that her uniform was too tight and the teachers went too fast. He remembered his father constantly telling him that it was for the best, even as Kaida pleaded for Hanzo to take her out of the school because she didn't like the kids or the teachers. He remembered turning his back on her, ignoring her cries to go back home (home, in this case, was back to America) because she hated the school and hated all the studies she had to do. But, he remembered how he ignored her, and Kaida wound up saying that she hated  _him._

It wasn't a typical nightmare to most, but to Hanzo, it was the most terrifying thing to experience, even if it was just a dream. His worst nightmare was becoming the man his father was, ignoring how unhappy Kaida was and devoting all his time to working. But dreaming of her saying she hated him terrified him the most. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Kaida grew up hating him. 

He looked down at Kaida, laying in his arms and still asleep. He stood by what he said last night. He wanted Kaida to actually have a childhood, not be forced to learn and study for hours at a time. He wanted her to have the freedom to play as she pleased and do what she wanted. It was part of the reason why he gave her so many options, from what she wore to how he styled her hair to what she ate. He wanted her to decide for herself instead of  having people choose for her. Expression was a part of life.

HE couldn't go back to sleep after it. So he laid in bed with Kaida, watching her sleep and holding her tight. Even as the sun started to rise, he didn't get up immediately, choosing to stay in bed with Kaida for a little longer. It was the weekend, he didn't have to work and they didn't have to go out for anything unless Kaida wanted to. They could have a lazy day if they wished. It was entirely up to Kaida what they did for the day, Hanzo didn't mind. Just as long as she was happy.

* * *

Hanzo didn't know how long he laid in bed, reading a book while he let Kaida sleep but he felt more than heard Kaida start to wake up. He had his arm around her while he read and he felt her wiggling around, slowly blinking open her eyes.

"Morning Papa," Kaida yawned.

"Good morning Kaida." 

Kaida sat up and giggled when the dogs jumped up and started licking her face. Hanzo smiled at the scene, ruffling Udon's fur. Both dogs turned their attention to Hanzo, who had previously been lounging on his lap, now jumped on him to lick his face as well.

"Did you have any scary dreams last night Papa?"

"No scary dreams." He sat her in his lap and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you Kaida. I had good dreams last night."

Kaida giggled. "Good. I'm happy."

They were slow to get out of bed, Hanzo content to try and finish his book while Kaida played with the dogs. When Kaida got hungry or when Hanzo felt they were being too lazy, they could get up for breakfast. Hanzo  _did_ have money left over. Maybe they could go out for breakfast if Kaida wanted to.

However, his plans were interrupted when the door slammed open and the dogs started barking like crazy.

"Hanzo! I'm hungry! Make me food."

Of course. All good plans get ruined by a little sibling. "You can make food for yourself, can't you?" He didn't even question why Genji was here so early in the morning. Zenyatta and their pets were probably downstairs as well. Heck, some of Genji's friends might be downstairs for all Hanzo knew.

"I could, but my dear older brother likes cooking and would love to cook for me." Genji plucked Kaida off the bed and tossed her into the air. "I also wanted to see my adorable little niece."

He either wanted something or he did something. That was the only time Genji would ever call him 'dear older brother' or anything of the sort. If he wasn't up to something, than he did something and Hanzo was willing to be that he did something. "What did you do Genji?"

"Nothing!"

He said that too quickly. "Genji..."

Genji sighed. "...I burned a couple things."

Hanzo wasn't going to question that either. Genji had lived off instant food for years until Zenyatta and Hanzo decided to teach him a few things in the kitchen. Genji likely attempted to cook something a little too complicated and things burned. A couple things was likely the entire kitchen. "And why did you come to bother me?"

"Don't you love spending time with me?"

"No."

Kaida laughed but tried to cover it with her hands.

"Kaida!" Genji gasped, sounding scandalized. "Don't laugh at him. Your papa is being very mean to Uncle Genji."

Hanzo put his book to the side, finally getting up and taking Kaida out of Genji's arms. "Fine. But you are helping me cook since you bothered us."

"Ugh, fine. What are we making?"

"Pancakes!" Kaida shouted suddenly. "Fruit pancakes!"

Hanzo laughed. "You always want pancakes Kaida."

"Pancakes are yummy."

"You eat so many pancakes, you might turn into one. Someone might eat you up!" He leaned down and pretended to bite at her arm using his other hand to tickle her while he was at it.

Kaidai started laughing, trying to get away. "No! Don't eat me!"

Genji rolled his eyes but the scene made him smile. Never in his life did he think he'd see his brother act like this, but being a parent changed you and Genji was glad Hanzo changed so much. He'd been worried that Hanzo would be reclusive and miserable, ignoring his daughter while she grew up like their father did to them. But Hanzo dotted on Kaida and gave her the attention and care she needed; he was always there for her, always encouraging her to be herself. He was glad they all moved away from Hanamura; Genji had no idea what their lives would've been like if they stayed in Japan.

* * *

Hanzo watched the dogs run around in the backyard while he stirred the pancake batter. It looked like a nice day out, a perfect Saturday to do anything. Maybe they could go to the park and have a picnic, or go sit outside and sketch. They could even go swimming if Kaida wanted; it wasn't too hot out and he'd been too busy lately to actual go out into the pool with her. A nice swim sounded...

Wait.

There was something...he could've sworn he saw something in the backyard. It wasn't the dogs outside and it wasn't shadows playing tricks on him. Something had actually moved out there, he was sure of it. Sometimes, the teens in the surrounding houses would be playing with frisbees or basketballs and accidentally threw them into his yard, but that didn't seem to be the case. And it wasn't a stray animal either; the dogs would've chased it already. 

 _'What if..._ ' What if it was the person that had been following him? His father's words came back to him, how he off-handedly mentioned that day in the park with Clark and Jesse. If someone had been that close to tell what they were wearing, they had to have been following closely. And that person was likely to know where he lived, had gotten into his backyard. How long had they been watching? Had it been recently or before that? Since Kaida had been born? Since Hanzo left? When? When could-

"Hanzo!"

Hanzo almost dropped the bowl when Genji grabbed his shoulder, so caught up in figuring out who could be in the backyard that he forgot what he was doing. "Y-Yes?"

"I said the skillet was hot. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Hanzo brushed past Genji and went to the skillet, trying to start the pancakes and rid his mind of its thoughts. He could feel Genji staring at him, trying to get him to start. "I'm fine Genji."

Genji looked into the living room. Kaida and Zenyatta were watching TV in the living room, not paying any attention to them. They were free to talk even if Hanzo might not want to. "Are you sure Hanzo? You know you can talk to me about anything."

"I know. I just...feel a little paranoid."

"C'mon Hanzo. You can tell me."

Hanzo sighed. "Last night I received a call from father. He called from mother's number, so I didn't know it was him."

"Let me guess: Still wants you back home?"

"Yes, but that isn't all. I took Kaida to the park last Saturday with a friend and somehow he knew Genji. He  _knew_ Kaida was at the park with a friend and that I was there with his father. He told me what they were wearing." He still felt chills thinking about someone following him and Kaida. "I think he has someone following us Genji and I'm scared. Just now, I thought I saw someone in the backyard but I think that is my paranoia getting to me. But he has me tailed Genji. I just know he does."

Genji rubbed his forehead. Their father just wasn't going to give up. In all honesty, this didn't surprise him that much. He'd been having the strangest feeling that someone had been following him too; now that Hanzo felt the same way, he knew it wasn't his own paranoia. Their father was adamant on bringing them back to Hanamura, Hanzo more so than Genji. They would just have to be very careful from now on. Their father had already sabotaged Hanzo before, he was probably going to move on to Genji as well. They had to look out for each other now more than ever. "I was afraid of father doing this. I think we should be try to be cautious. You have a separate phone number for your shop, right?"

Hanzo nodded. He didn't want people calling his personal cell at all hours of the day. He had a different phone, an old one from when he was a teenager, for those calls.

"Good. We'll both change our numbers and only give the new ones to everyone who matters; no friends we made through father and his associates. We'll email mom our new numbers just in case father has her phone hacked, and I can even hook you up with a security system for the house if that makes you feel better. We'll try to limit father's chances to spy on us and sabotage us where we can." 

Hanzo checked the backyard again. There was no one out there; either they left when they had been spotted or Hanzo's mind was playing tricks on him. But Genji had some good ideas. Hanzo would feel much safer in the house with a security system and a new number. They would just have to be cautious going out and going to work while their father had people tailing them.

It just sucked. Just when Hanzo thought everything was going his way, his whole world came crashing down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the torture won't continue every chapter, those of you begging me to spare them, I will, just not now. But, if you want to yell at me about it or share your own single dad HCs, you can come chat with me on Twitter and Tumblr
> 
> (if the links don't work, hmu @PhoenixofH or under the same name on Tumblr)


	5. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to court is hard and can be taxing. Sometimes, Jesse feels like he's alone in his battles. Then he remembers that he has so much support behind him and everything seems a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There has been a lot of support, a lot of love for this story (and a lot of you begging for a happy moment; I'm not that cruel, they're going to be there) and that really makes me happy. That keeps me going and keeps my motivation up. Sorry for the long wait and if this chapter seems a little rushed; it's going up without much editing.

There was someone out there in the universe that wanted Jesse McCree to mess up during the court case.

Everything had just started going south and he was back to first base, where his mood was dropping and he didn't have the energy he used to. He'd misplace his papers, miss important phone calls, he couldn't focus on the few clients he had at work, he barely got Clark to school on time and showed up late picking him up, and just when he thought he finally had a better sleep schedule down, he was hit with bouts of insomnia and stayed up most of the night. It was probably his nerves messing with him; this was the first time he was scared he'd lose Clark to Macy. She had already bragged about her new boyfriend and how much more money he made than Jesse and how better he was than Jesse, and even though Jesse shouldn't pay attention to her nonsense, there was a part of him that feared Macy was right. What if she just  _was_ better equipped to take care of Clark because of her new boyfriend? Jesse took care of Clark the best he could and new in his heart he was a good father but it was getting harder and harder to support his family, even if his parents and siblings offered to lend him money, he didn't want to always ask them and it was only a temporary solution. He had to figure out what he was doing wrong and fix it.

It was also the courts themselves that had him intimidated. Court was never a place he liked to be in. He had been in court more than anyone he ever met, and he hated it. When he was younger and in the foster system, he ran away constantly, from the time he was 8 up until he was adopted. Each time he was found and brought back, he was brought to a court and in front of a judge. Every time a family didn't want him and brought him back, he was in a court, trying not to lash out at the judge or the officers around him. When he got into fights at school and risked being put away, he was once again in court. And when he and Macy were finalizing their divorce, back in court he went.  Each and every time he'd been in front of a judge, in a court, or had to deal with the legal system, it was always because he had done something wrong. He was always wrong and just accepted that nobody wanted him; no family and not his wife. Once again, he'd done something wrong with his son and now there was a chance he could lose him. His thoughts were all over the place and he just couldn't focus on any one task.

But as bad as his days have been, there were still small moments where he was reminded of all the support behind him and all the people who had his back. 

Clark may have been young and didn't quite understand everything that Jesse was going through, but he was still behind him 100%. After the first one he left, Clark got into the habit of leaving sticky notes around the house for Jesse to find, much like how Jesse would leave little notes in Clark's lunchbox every day. Now Jesse had a collection of notes from his son tucked away in the corner of his toolbox because he'd see them every time he opened it up. They were little bits of encouragement that made the day go by faster.

Then, of course, he had his parents and his siblings, who had proved to him that there was a family out there that did care about him. They were always there to support him no matter what and always helped him in his darker days. He guaranteed that if he called them up now, they wouldn't hesitate to come over and do their best to cheer him up; Gabe and Jack would bring him some of his favorite foods with him to make him feel better and though his sister was a brat, she'd drag him all over town until he felt better.

He hadn't even realized it until lately but he had Hanzo and Kaida behind him as well. Kaida, like Clark, was too young to understand any of what Jesse was going through, but he'd notice that a few of the notes Clark left for him were colored differently and had an increase of dogs in them. And he didn't say it in so many words, but Hanzo had supported him as well. Jesse didn't talk about his problems with Hanzo and Hanzo didn't pry, but he had his own ways of showing his support or letting Jesse know that he was behind him. He spent more time with Hanzo and Kaida now, not even on the weekends just to go to the park, but a few times during the week they would meet up and let the kids play on the school's playground while they talked. It was usually about little things or they would talk about each other's day which...Jesse didn't realize how  _nice_ it was to have someone ask about his day. It was something simple and probably not as important to other people, but for Jesse, it meant a whole lot. Hanzo and his daughter were starting to become constants in his life.

Every time he felt nervous, he'd have to remember the constants in his life, the people behind him that supported him, and he'd feel a little better.

* * *

 _'Just a little while longer. Just gotta hold out a little longer.'_  

The court case was going...as poorly as he expected. Macy somehow made twice as much as he would on a good day, lived in a nicer neighborhood than he did, and complained that their agreement wasn't fair and didn't allow her to see Clark as often as she should have. She claimed she didn't have the contact with Clark that she did and that they were starting to become distant, to the point where she didn't even know who her son was anymore (and wasn't that the over-statement of the century). 

But that wasn't even the worst part.

Despite his best efforts, Jesse couldn't make any good arguments against Macy. Of course he had proof of everything he did to prove how he cared for Clark, but it didn't seem like enough. Every point he tried to make, Macy would counter it with something she did better. He barely got any time to speak for himself or make his own argument. And to be honest, now that it was in front of him, he really wasn't going too good. He'd fallen on hard times and tried not to let it affect Clark, but when facts were in front of him, it really didn't look good.

"...Clark has started acting out in school and he doesn't tell me about what happens during the day or how he's doing in school or anything. I'm concerned something is going on at home that he refuses to tell me about, which makes me think that Jesse is making him hide things, and considering Jesse's past, I'm not sure his household is fit for a child."

And of course, the other thing making it hard for him was Macy lying through her teeth: claiming Clark was acting out in school when in reality none of those fights were his fault and he was well-behaved; all his teachers loved him and had nothing but good things to say about him despite the few fights he was involved in. Jesse never prevented Clark from calling Macy and he never told Clark what he could and couldn't tell his mother; if there was something Clark didn't tell her, he had his reasons not to. And their visitation was fine; it was Macy who tended to pick up Clark late or not at all; there was no reason she should blame Jesse when she missed her dates.

It was that last comment though, the one about Jesse's past, that really stung. Sure, he did some things in the past that he wasn't proud of and would _never_ go back to, but he cleaned himself up once he saw how it was affection those around him and got better. The fact that Macy was trying to use that to her advantage hurt and also pissed him off.

He had to stay calm. He couldn't let anything get to him. Only a little while longer and he'd be done with this, with Clark still in his custody. Things weren't looking good for him but if he was going down, he was going down fighting.

* * *

There were a few moments of silence as the judge considered everything he was told, then looked over every shred of paper Jesse and Macy had submitted to him. Jesse couldn't read the room at the moment, couldn't guess what the judge was thinking about everything but he had to have faith that things would work out in his favor.  

"The hardest part of my job is this: when cases like these come up where a child is juggled between their parents. And every time cases like these come up, we always consider the best interest of the child. All things need to be considered, factors that affect the child's upbringing and relationships, whether those relationships be familial or interpersonal."

Jesse could barely hear the judge. His heart was beating so loud it was like an ever-increasing roar in his ears. None of his words were making sense, the room was starting to spin, his hands wouldn't stop shaking and he couldn't breathe. 

"All things considered, for Clark's sake, it would be in everyone's best interest, if Clark remained with his father. I don't believe a change of household is necessary nor do I think visitation needs to be adjusted either. From the phone records and the logs I have, it's clear that Clark has constant contact with his mother and that he fares well living with his father. There were a lot of factors that went into making this decision, and all of those factors lead me to believe that Clark should stay in his father's household." 

There was something else said, Jesse didn't know what and he didn't care what. All that mattered was hearing that Clark was still his.

He won.

* * *

Clark was down the street at the park with Hanzo and Kaida. He didn't want Clark too far away from him in case he lost; if he did lose his custody then he'd spend the rest of the day spending time with him until things changed. But now that he won, he was still going to spend the day with Clark, but it'd be to celebrate a victory rather than mourn a loss. But he won, and they needed to do  _something_ to celebrate, Jesse didn't care what. After the stressful day he had, Jesse wanted to erase all of that and have a good day. He was on Cloud 9 and felt like he could take on the world.

Unfortunately, Macy wanted to continue to ruin his life, chasing him down the street in her too-high heels.

"Jesse McCree! Don't you walk away from me!"

 _'Jus keep goin' Jesse. Go find Clark and get outta here.'_ He quickened his pace, hoping that Macy would stumble and give him the opening he needed to get away. But nothing was faster than an angry woman in high heels. Macy rounded him before he could get far, blocking his way to the park.

"Wipe that smug look off your face Jesse. Don't think you've won."

"I'm pretty sure I did." He wasn't  _trying_ to gloat but it made him happy that after all of those lies Macy told, she still lost. So if he was feeling good about himself and rubbed it in, could you really blame him? "The judge said-"

"I don't care what the judge said! I  _know_ Clark would be better off with me and we both know it. What, you think you can support a child in that mudhole you call a shop? You're  _nothing_ Jesse. Get that through your thick skull!"

Macy was trying to make him lose it in front of the courthouse but Jesse was better than that. He already won one battle, and he'd win this one. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of our son. I took care of you for years, didn't I? _By myself._ "

The last thing Jesse expected was for Macy to hit him. It was weak, but it took him by surprise. If he were any less of a man, he would've hit her back (and a few confrontations between them did get physical) but that wasn't who he was. If he did anything to her, she could get the cops on him in a minute, claim he assaulted her, and then she would definitely win custody over Clark. It sucked, but despite what she did to him, Jesse would just have to take it.

Macy started screaming up a storm, attracting a few on-lookers who quickly ushered their own children away or quickened their pace. Jesse noticed a few people out the corner of his eye ready to intervene if something happened. And, sadly, he noticed Hanzo and the kids approaching, though Hanzo seemed to see what kind scene was taking place and slowed his pace. Jesse really didn't want Clark to see something like this, not again. Silently, he urged Hanzo to turn around and head back to the park.

Luck was not on his side as Macy happened to look over his shoulder and see Clark approaching. "Oh! Clark!"

"Mommy!"

He wasn't going to prevent Clark from seeing his mother, but he  _really_ wished Macy had left quietly so this didn't happen. Macy loved Clark, Jesse couldn't deny that, but she tended to use him as leverage over Jesse when  _anything_ came up. She might try to pull something like that So he stood back and watched Clark hug his mom and talk about what he was doing while Kaida and Hanzo hung back.

"And who's this?" Macy turned and gave a smile to Kaida, who flinched and hid behind Hanzo's pant leg. Whether it was because she was scared of meeting new people or just scared of Macy, Jesse wasn't sure. But he had a feeling she was more scared of Macy if anything. Which was valid. "Your girlfriend?"

"No, that's Kaida. She's my best friend." 

"Well, it's nice to meet you Kaida." Macy bent down and held out her hand to shake. Kaida stared at Macy's hand like it was some sort of monster's claw, but she was too polite to pull away and shook Macy's hand anyway. Clark didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable she was, but Hanzo noticed and took Kaida's free hand. All that movement did was get Macy's attention on him.

"And who," Macy purred, stalking towards Hanzo. "Is this dashing man?"

To his credit, Hanzo didn't flinch like Kaida did but his shoulders suddenly tensed and he looked less pleased. It got really uncomfortable when Macy noticed the ink on his wrist and started running her fingers over his tattoo.

"Shimada. Hanzo Shimada," Hanzo introduced stiffly. "And my daughter Kaida."

"Aw, she's adorable!" Macy smiled at Kaida again, though it was brief and her attention was back to Hanzo. "She must get her looks from her father."

"Yes..." Hanzo shot Jesse a look that was clearly a cry for help.

"And what a looker her father is." Macy took a step further, way too deep into Hanzo's personal space, and batted her lashes.

Jesse stood there, watching in shock and anger. He couldn't believe it. Macy was  _flirting_ with Hanzo like Jesse and the kids weren't standing there. Didn't she already have a boyfriend? A boyfriend she had been bragging about in court? But here she was, hands all over Hanzo like she owned him, trying to coerce him into a conversation he clearly wasn't interested in. Flipping her hair and laughing like he was a comedic genius when Hanzo wasn't even saying too much. It was sickening.

How dare she touch what wasn't hers?

Hanzo took both of her hands in one of his and gently pushed her away. He looked more annoyed than uncomfortable now, taking a step away from Macy. "Talking has been...decent, but we really should be going."

"Yeah," Jesse agreed, though for entirely different reasons. "Got a full day ahead of us."

Macy shot him the dirtiest look but finally took the hint from Hanzo, throwing him another wink when she thought no one was watching. Kaida noticed however and gave Macy a nasty look, sticking her tongue out when Macy turned to say bye to Clark. Jesse had to hold back a laugh; Kaida didn't seem like a fan of Macy either.

Before they could leave, Macy pulled Hanzo to the side. Even though she was trying to be discreet, Jesse could still make out her last words to Hanzo.

"Here's my number. If you need  _anything,_ you be sure to give me a call. Being a single parent must be lonely."

They couldn't get out of there faster.

* * *

The playground was filled to the brim with kids and parents. Kaida and Clark immediately ran to the jungle gym, barely registering Jesse and Hanzo telling them to be careful while they played. Hanzo led him to a bench underneath a tree where they had a near perfect view of the kids. The dogs flopped onto the ground and seemed to doze, Hanzo relaxing back against the bench with their leashes. Jesse was still tense from earlier and couldn't relax like he wanted, still angry at Macy for lying in court and for flirting with Hanzo.

"Well, she seemed lovely," Hanzo said after a few minutes of silence.

Jesse couldn't help it; it wasn't  _that_ funny but Jesse burst out laughing. Lovely was the last word Jesse would ever use to describe Macy. "That 'lovely' woman was my ex, Macy."

He thought that Hanzo would pry, but surprisingly, he chuckled. "I don't think Kaida like her. First she was scared, then she was angry. I've never seen Kaida look at anyone like that before."

"They say that kids are the best judges of character. Maybe Kaida saw something evil and wanted to protect you."

Hanzo chuckled again. "Or she saw her screaming at you earlier."

"Y'all saw that?"

"I believe the entire block saw that."

Jesse sighed. Every time he was with Macy, they always caused a scene. It made him wonder why he tried to work on their marriage for so long. Now that he was older and thinking back on it, the signs were there. Their marriage was doomed to fail from the start; they were young kids who thought they knew everything and knew one another better than anyone. Look at how that turned out. "She was mad at me since I won Clark in court. This has been an ongoing fight between us."

Hanzo hummed, his eyes focused on where their kids were playing. "I see."

And he left it at that. Jesse was grateful that Hanzo didn't pry for details. Most people would've killed to know what happened in court or why he and Macy had fallen out, but Hanzo didn't ask nor did she seem all that curious about it. He didn't keep glancing at Jesse or urge him to speak; he simply sat there and let Jesse father his thoughts. He was letting Jesse's business be Jesse's business.

"I suspect that after dealing with that, you want to forget about it. And we have the whole day ahead of us," Hanzo mentioned. "What should we do?"

That reminded him. Jesse had been planning on celebrating his win and nothing was going to stop him. It was a small victory, but a victory none the less. They  _did_ have a whole day ahead of them, and this day would be without stress or Macy or thinking about the court. "I had a whole day planned. We could hit the movies, get lunch, and go bowling. I mean, if that's alright with you." If Hanzo had other plans Jesse would be happy to hear them.

"That sounds lovely." Hanzo smiled at him and Jesse's heart started beating a bit faster.

* * *

They stayed at the park for another two hours, letting the kids play and run around. They chatted more about themselves the whole time, more about their respective jobs, a few personal things, and about their hobbies. Jesse learned that Hanzo did archery in his spare time, an activity he learned in his childhood that he still found time for as an adult. In turn, Jesse told him about his passion for writing and how he published short stories when he could under a fake name and how he wanted to actually write a novel one day.

"Really? What about?"

"Well..." Jesse had admitted this to his sister, who had teased him endlessly about it. "Don't laugh at me, but I had a couple of ideas for a romance novel." 

Macy had mocked him when he mentioned his dream to her and told him it wouldn't go anywhere, that he didn't know the first thing about romance. And with all his stress piling up, he hadn't had time to actually work on his manuscript. He just didn't have time for his side hobby anymore, which used to be a major stress-reliever for him.

"A romance novel? I rather enjoy those." He smiled at Jesse again. "When you publish yours, I hope to be the first to read it."

Jesse was pretty sure he would need to visit a doctor soon because his heart kept beating out of rhythm. Also, he noticed that Hanzo said "when" and not "if". Like he was sure Jesse would seriously go through with it and publish his romance novel. It filled him with hope; all he really needed was one person to believe in him.

Little by little, they learned more about one another. Hanzo, as Jesse already suspected, was artistic by nature. Jesse had made the association before when he learned that Hanzo was a tattoo artist and had seen the artwork all over his house, but he now knew that Hanzo also played a couple of instruments and enjoyed ceramics. Jesse told Hanzo about how he liked working with his hands, like building models with Clark and taking apart old and new car engines and putting them back together.

The kids ran up to them a while later, out of breath, sweaty, but still full of energy. At this time, a lot of the kids they were playing with had left with their parents, leaving only a few elderly couples and teens milling around. They could stay longer if they wanted to or they could go eat if the kids got hungry.

"Y'all look like ya had fun." Jesse scooted over a bit to let the kids sit beside them. "What did you play?"

"We played pirates and Kaida got to be captain and we had the biggest crew in the seas!"

"And we made new friends!"

"That's great. We're glad you had fun." Jesse was glad he would get to keep seeing Clark have fun, see him make friends with other kids. One of his worries today was that he wouldn't get to see much of him anymore had he lost. But he didn't have to worry anymore. He'd be able to see all the great moments and see Clark having a good time. "It's about time for lunch. Are you two hungry?"

Instead of an answer, their stomachs growled. Kaida blushed and held her stomach while Clark just laughed.

"I take that as a yes." Jesse stood, the dogs looking up from their nap and jumping to their feet. "Where should we head for lunch? Pick anywhere you like."

Clark and Kaida looked at one another. Kaida just shrugged, probably because she and Hanzo didn't go out to eat that often and she didn't have a favorite restaurant. Clark hummed as he thought, then jumped up. "Can we go to grandad's restaurant?"

"If that's okay with y'all." He looked over at Hanzo, who shrugged just as Kaida did.

"That's alright with me." Then Hanzo smirked. "I'm meeting your parents already? I didn't know you liked me that much."

Jesse stuttered for an answer, face burning as the kids and Hanzo laughed. 

* * *

Despite it being around the lunch rush, the restaurant wasn't as packed as it usually was for the time. There were a couple of regulars that waved hello to Jesse and some of the staff spoke to him and Clark. They were seated almost immediately in Jesse's favorite booth, the one not too far from the kitchen (Gabe had forced him to sit there after he was adopted, to make sure that Jesse was actually doing his homework instead of goofing off). 

The kids colored on the kid menus while Hanzo looked over his. Jesse didn't need a menu as he had been here his entire laugh and knew all the dishes by heart.

Gabe came out of the kitchen a moment later, probably to take a break, when he spotted Clark and Jesse and made his way over. "Clark!"

"Grandpa!"

Jesse huffed and waved at his dad, not that Gabe noticed. He was too busy with Clark. "Hello to you too Gabe." He was always invisible when he came here with Clark. Even Jack had a habit of acknowledging Clark before Jesse every time they came in.

"What're you doing here? Came for a visit?"

Clark shook his head. "No. We're here for lunch. Dad brought us."

Gabe set Clark down and the two made their way over to the table, where Gabe finally took note of Jesse sitting there. "Oh. Hey Jess."

Jesse rolled his eyes.  _Now_ he gets a greeting. "Hey Gabe. Nice to finally be noticed."

Gabe didn't answer, also noticing that they had guests, though Hanzo and Kaida were still looking over their menus and didn't seem to notice him. "Are you on a date?"

"What? No! We're just out for lunch!" He suddenly flashed back to what Hanzo said about meeting the parents and flushed. If he thought about it, it kinda was a like a date. "Gabe, this is Hanzo and his daughter Kaida. Hanzo, Kaida, this is my dad Gabe."

Gabe had a habit of terrifying people once they met him. He never intentionally meant to, but a six-foot-tall ex-military guy tended to be intimidating to anyone, especially considering his physique and the numerous scars littering his body. The few friends Jesse had always tensed up and were scared that stepping out of line would result in them getting punished despite how many times Jesse told them that Gabe was friendly. All of that in mind, he thought even Hanzo would be frightened and might take his daughter and leave.

So imagine his surprise when Gabe held out his hand to shake, the usual scowl on his face, and Hanzo didn't even flinch. "It's nice to meet you."

Gabe must've expected Hanzo to shrink away as well because his eyebrows rose for a split-second. Then his scowl faded and a small replaced it. "Same to you. Hope this brat," he jerked a thumb in Jesse's direction. "Hasn't been giving you any trouble."

Hanzo ignored his protest and chuckled. "None yet."

"Hey! I ain't trouble!" Maybe as a teenager, he'd been a bit of a brat and uncooperative but he grew out of that. "C"mon now Gabe."

Gabe ignored him in favor of turning to Kaida. "And you must be Kaida. Clark talks about you all the time."

"Hello!" Unlike with Macy, Kaida didn't seem afraid of Gabe and willingly held out her hand to shake. Maybe it was like Hanzo said and Kaida judged Gabe as a good person. "Nice to meet you. Clark talks a lot about you too."

"Oh really? Good things I hope."

"Yeah!" Clark said. "Always! Cause you're the best!"

Gabe laughed. "Heh. Well, I think I've taken up enough of your time. Lemme know if you need anything." He shooked Hanzo's hand again and waved to Kaida. "It was nice meeting both of you."

Jesse waited until Gabe was out of earshot before he groaned. "Don't pay him any mind. I'm not trouble. Seriously."

Lunch went by pleasantly, to the point that Jesse didn't want it to end. In such a nice atmosphere surrounded by the kids laughing and smiling, and being able to talk with Hanzo about day-to-day things made him feel like he was out with good friends. Not like he had been struggling in court with his ex or worried about what his income was like. He felt like he had just taken some friends out for a nice lunch.

It shouldn't have felt so natural but it did.

The kids were just as lively as ever. They ate off each other's plates, despite being told not to, they didn't fight with one another over anything, they talked and laughed with one another, and to both Jesse and Hanzo's surprise, they were actually eating their vegetables instead of hiding them in a napkin or under a plate.

People walked by and commented on how cute the kids were, one lady even stopping by to chat for a moment.

"My husband and I struggle to get our kids to get along. It's rare seeing a brother and sister not fight with one another. How did you do it? Your kids are so well-behaved."

Brother and sister? Oh, she thought they were- "Oh no no no. They're uh, not actually brother and sister."

"They are merely friends," Hanzo explained. 

"Oh." The woman laughed. "Sorry. You guys just look like a little family, I thought-"

Jesse waved her off. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

The lady talked a little bit more before waving them off, leaving them alone to finish their lunch.

The words 'a little family' bounced around in his mind for a while. A family huh? Sure they were all close, gradually getting closer, but he and Hanzo were just friends. Maybe barely even that; he didn't know where Hanzo stood with him, whether it was good or bad, or if Hanzo was humoring him for the sake of their kids. Heck, if neither of them had kids they probably would've never crossed paths (unless Hanzo's car broke down and he somehow found Jesse's place). Did they really look like a family?

Jesse looked at them gathered at the table. Hanzo was wiping sauce and other food from the kids' fingers, mouths, and arms. The kids were laughing and finishing their drinks, compiling when Hanzo needed them to hold out their arms or hands. There was a sense of togetherness among them,  _all_ of them.

A family? It was a  _really_ nice thought. 

* * *

Gabe pulled him to the side before they left, claiming it would only take a moment and they needed to talk. Jesse asked Hanzo to wait around for a couple of minutes if he didn't mind, and Hanzo agreed to watch the kids for a while. Gabe wanted to take about the case, how he was holding up, and handed him a little extra money despite Jesse not wanting to take it at first.

"He's cute," Gabe said, gesturing to Hanzo and the kids. "Nice catch if you ask me."

" _Gabe._ " He didn't want to have this conversation with his dad right now. "Can we not?"

"What? All I said was that he's cute." Gabe held up his hands to placate him. "I don't mean anything by it."

"Yes you do." Gabe was talking in that tone. The tone that suggested Jesse was being an idiot and missing something obvious. "Spill. What's up?"

"To be perfectly honest, I think he'd be good for you and-"

"Nope." Jesse shook his head. "I know what you're gonna say. No way. I'm not gonna date him. We're just friends and we're gonna stay friends."

"I saw the way you were looking at him-"

"Everyone was looking at him!" How could people  _not_ look at Hanzo? He was gorgeous! 

"That's not what I-" Gabe sighed, taking a minute or two to gather his thoughts. "Look mijo, I haven't seen you this happy in ages. You've been depressed and upset for a while now and there was nothing Jack or I could do to help you. You were just...you didn't act like you normally would. Then suddenly you come in with this new guy and you're laughing and joking like you've been friends since high school. Like the last few months didn't even happen. You don't go out with people or anything but now you've got this guy with you and you're like the old Jesse again. You're _happy_ again."

Happy? What was he talking about? Of course Jesse was happy.

...right?

Sure, he hadn't been happy  _lately_ but that was because of the situation he was in. Things happened to go south and he was having trouble dealing with it but he had a handle on things. He was fine; Gabe didn't know what he was talking about.

But...maybe his mood had been better because of recent changes.

"Hanzo is...I dunno, he's different. We haven't known each other for long but it does feel like we're really close. I can vent to him and he'll listen and instead of telling me that things will get fine, he'll tell me things suck. He was there for me today and I just feel like he'll be there for me in the future. I can really...depend on him." 

"Sounds to me like he'd be good to you."

He would be, wouldn't he? Every time he spoke to Hanzo, just felt so relaxed. He could laugh and joke and actual smile at him at it all felt genuine. Hanzo did seem like a good thing, the best thing for Jesse. But...

"I can't. I don't have the best luck when it comes to relationships and..." He didn't want to ruin what he had with Hanzo. The friends thing they had going on between them was enough for Jesse. If they took it farther, got too involved, and then the worst happened, it wouldn't just affect them but their kids too. There was too much at stake and Jesse wasn't sure he could take it if things went bad. "It's best for both of us that we stay friends."

Gabe shook his head. "You won't know that unless you take a chance. Believe me. I almost lost Jack forever thinking we should stay friends."

"What?" From all the stories he'd been told, his parents had been inseparable. They always talked and reminisced about good times, times that started when they were young and blossomed since then. They were gross old men, but the loving kind of gross old men. Hearing that they almost weren't together seemed unreal.

Gabe nodded grimly. "I didn't think I deserved him, didn't think I could be good to him. When I realized I started falling for him, I pulled away and told him we should stay friends. What I didn't realize was how much it would hurt knowing he was someone else's. He became a constant in my life I couldn't function without. Kept me sane when I thought I would lose it." 

Was Hanzo that important to him? He was definitely there when Jesse needed him, someone he could call out of the blue and Hanzo would make time to talk or help him out. When Jesse had told Hanzo about the court date, Hanzo had immediately cleared his weekend to make time for him after court. And just now over lunch, it felt so natural being together.

"Just think about it. And don't waste any time. If you don't snatch him up, someone else might."

* * *

"Look. They're worn out."

Jesse looked at the back, where the kids were fast asleep. Their toys were scattered across the seat, some falling from the slack grip. The dogs were also resting comfortably beneath them, huffing softly as they made themselves comfortable. 

He chuckled. The two had just been giggling and laughing just a moment ago and now they were knocked out. All that energy they had and they crashed just as easily. "Today was a full day for them. I'm not surprised." 

After lunch, they had gone to the movies to see some children's flick the kids loved. Jesse couldn't follow the plot and it didn't seem like Hanzo could either, but the kids seemed to enjoy it if their laughter and cheers during the movie were anything to go by. They were even more pumped when they went bowling, where even though they couldn't lift many of the bowling balls they still enjoyed themselves. Hanzo, Jesse learned, was not that great at bowling, a fact that Jesse tried to not tease him about  _too_ much. But even Hanzo had to admit he wasn't the best after his third gutter ball in a row (Jesse wasn't great either but he managed a few rolls every now and them). They went back to the park to let the dogs run around some more before finally deciding to head home.

"Listen..." Hanzo seemed to struggle with his words for a moment like he was trying to say the right thing. Eventually, he seemed to get it but looked away from Jesse. "It...it's really late and I don't think we should wake the kids. How about you and Clark just stay the night with-with us? We have enough room...and..." he tried to find something else to say but the words just weren't there.

"No, it's alright. I think we can make it home." The idea of spending the night with Hanzo was appealing but he was jumping the gun. He didn't want to be a burden on the man and Hanzo must be tired of them by now. It'd be better if they parted ways now. 

"Are you certain? I wouldn't mind if you did and I don't want our night to end. We've been having a pleasant conversation so far."

Jesse's heart started skipping again. Hanzo didn't want him to leave. Hanzo actually wanted him to stay a little longer. Was this a dream? Because if so, Jesse didn't want to wake up.

* * *

The kids didn't even stir when they were lifted out of the car. Jesse half-expected one of them to at least protest the change in position but they were both dead to the world. Whatever toys they had been holding onto were left in the seat to be cleaned up tomorrow. The dogs sluggishly lifted themselves from the floor and followed them inside, nails clicking on the tile of the floor. 

Jesse followed Hanzo upstairs to Kaida's room. Jesse didn't have any spare clothes for Clark to sleep in but Hanzo had old, neutral colored clothes that seemed to fit Clark for the night. The kids were quickly changed into pajamas and tucked into bed, no story needed or anything. They were going to sleep well tonight.

Once the kids were settled for the night, Jesse went with Hanzo downstairs. Neither of them were tired, at least Jesse wasn't tired yet, so they sat in the kitchen idly chatting.

"Thank you Hanzo," Jesse said during a lull in the conversation. "For everything. For being there and..." He couldn't find the words to express how he really felt or how much Hanzo being there meant to him but he needed to get the words out.

Hanzo waved him off. "It is no problem. Being a single parent is hard. You need all the support you can get."

"I know it's just...I shouldn't dump all my issues on you. You have a daughter and a life to worry about and here I am taking up your time with my problems." It always made him feel bad thinking about what Hanzo may have sacrificed just to help him. Jesse always felt like he was taking advantage of his kindness and it made him feel shitty.

"Jesse."

Hanzo reached over and took his hand, squeezing it tightly in his. His hand was warm, but calloused from years of work. And his hand was warm, grip strong. Jesse could feel himself blushing and was glad it was a bit dark in the house so that Hanzo couldn't see it.

"Jesse, being a parent is hard. Being a single parent is even harder. There are battles you have to face by yourself and they're tough. I know today was one of many battles you might face against your ex-wife. And believe me when I say that they'll get harder."

Despite what Hanzo said, Jesse didn't feel downtrodden or upset by his words. Because they were true. Parenting itself was hard but being alone made it a lot harder. If you didn't know what was wrong with your kid, who do you turn to? Who do you get help from?

"But when you have friends and have people to support you, it isn't as difficult. You push through because you have them. I know because I have people like that. And...and you do too. You have me."

Jesse didn't know what to say. He could only sit there holding Hanzo's hand, taking his words to heart.

Sadly, Hanzo decided it was about time for him to retire to bed. He bid Jesse goodnight and directed him to which room he could stay in for the night. Jesse heard him, but his mind was processing too many thoughts at once. He kept thinking back to what Gabe said and thought of Hanzo's actions, trying to piece together what it all meant. When it became too much and his head started to hurt, Jesse decided it was time to go to bed.

Like many other nights, he laid awake in bed while his mind raced. Though, his thoughts weren't as depressing as usual. No, he couldn't stop thinking of Hanzo. 

His hand was still warm from where Hanzo had held it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesse's catching feelings. This whole "friends" thing is slowly starting to evolve into something more. But does Hanzo feel the same?
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @PhoenixofH

**Author's Note:**

> Gabe is the grandparent who always feeds you and says you look too thin. Jack is the grandparent who insists you're fine but can't stop his husband from feeding you.
> 
> Also yes, Clark is the name of McHanzo son from the Overwatch bootleg "Heroes of Warfare" (and yes, he is the McHanzo son look him up he looks like Hanzo and Jesse had a baby who has Jesse's abilities and Hanzo's affinity for having the titties out). I only took his name, not his design.
> 
> Kaida however, I made up because I didn't want to name her Sakura or anything because that would be too easy.


End file.
